ピンポン
pin pon[pʲim põ̞ɴ]
ピンポン (pin pon) is the Japanese phrase for "ping pong".
ピンポン refers to the sport where players hit a small ball back and forth over a table. You may also see the term ピンポン球 used specifically to mean a "ping pong ball".
Which one should you use?
While ピンポン is used colloquially, the standard and more formal term for the sport is 卓球 (takkyū).
How do you pronounce it?
pin pon
Did you know?
- In Japan, the sound ピンポン (pin pon) is the standard onomatopoeia for a doorbell ringing. Because of this, the phrase can refer to a door chime as often as it refers to the sport.
- In Japanese variety shows, a ピンポン bell sound is often played as a sound effect to signal that a contestant has given a correct answer.
- In many Japanese contexts, calling a sport by its onomatopoeic name like ピンポン can make the conversation feel much more casual or 'cute' than using the formal 卓球.
Examples in context
- ピンポンは卓球とも呼ばれている。Ping-Pong is also called table tennis.This sentence shows that ピンポン is also called table tennis.Tatoeba #197245 by bunbuku, translation #34427 by AlanF_US
- 彼はピンポンで１度も負けたことのないのを自慢している。He is proud of never having been beaten in ping-pong.This sentence uses ピンポン to describe someone's pride in never having been beaten in the sport.Tatoeba #111112 by bunbuku, translation #292575 by CK
- 卓球の試合が大変盛り上がっています。The ping pong match is very exciting.
- 今度、ピンポン大会があるんだって。I heard there will be a ping pong tournament soon.
- 放課後にピンポンをしましょう。Hōkago ni pinpon o shimashō.Let's play ping pong after school.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about what to do at a sports center.
- 大翔 Hiroto今日はピンポンをしようよ。Kyou wa pinpon o shiyou yo.Let's play ping pong today.
- 美咲 Misakiいいよ。大翔くんは強いの？Ii yo. Hiroto-kun wa tsuyoi no?Sure. Are you good at it, Hiroto?
- 大翔 Hirotoまあまあかな。美咲ちゃんは？Maamaa kana. Misaki-chan wa?I'm okay. How about you, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misaki私は全然ダメだよ。Watashi wa zenzen dame da yo.I'm not good at all.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ピンポン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
