足球
zúqiú
Soccer in Chinese is 足球 (zúqiú). Wiktionary also lists 蹴球 (cùqiú).
Meaning: game (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 足球 | zúqiú | |
| 蹴球 | cùqiú | rare |
The term refers to the game of soccer. While 足球 refers to the sport, it can also literally mean the physical soccer ball itself. Colloquially, the phrase 踢足球 is used to refer to playing soccer.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 足球 consists of 足 (foot) and 球 (ball).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
足球 is the most common and formal term for soccer. In contrast, 蹴球 is a formal or archaic way to refer to soccer and is much less common in daily conversation than 足球.
How do you pronounce it?
zúqiú
Did you know?
- Ancient Chinese 'Cuju', a precursor to 足球, was played with a leather ball stuffed with feathers. It is recognized by FIFA as the oldest form of the game known to man.
- In Chinese sports media, a 'hat trick' is not translated literally as a 'hat' but is instead called 帽子戏法, which describes a 'magic trick with a hat'.
- In China, soccer is often called the 'King of Sports'. This title reflects the sport's massive cultural influence and the government's historical efforts to make China a global soccer powerhouse.
Examples in context
- 我爱看足球。I love watching soccer games.This sentence is useful for expressing a love of watching 足球.Tatoeba #493516 by biglion, translation #253861 by CK
- 我喜歡足球。I like soccer.This sentence is useful for expressing a liking for 足球.Tatoeba #5568572 by egg0073, translation #5840429 by CK
- 我們喜歡踢足球。We like playing soccer.Tatoeba #4746493 by egg0073, translation #459083 by CM
- 我很喜欢足球。 (Wǒ hěn xǐ huān zú qiú.)I really like soccer.
- 周末我们一起踢足球，好吗？ (Zhōumò wǒmen yīqǐ tī zúqiú, hǎo ma?)Let's play soccer together this weekend, okay?
- 57 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a sports match on TV.
- 伟 Wei你今天看足球比赛了吗？Nǐ jīntiān kàn zúqiú bǐsài le ma?Did you watch the soccer match today?
- 雨婷 Yuting没看，我正在做作业。Méi kàn, wǒ zhèngzài zuò zuòyè.I didn't, I am doing my homework.
- 伟 Wei那太可惜了，比赛很精彩。Nà tài kěxī le, bǐsài hěn jīngcǎi.That's too bad, the match was wonderful.
- 雨婷 Yuting下次我会看的。Xià cì wǒ huì kàn de.I will watch it next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soccer” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
