Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 乒乓球 | pīngpangqiú | |
| 桌球 | zhuōqiú | Taiwan |
The term refers to the sport similar to tennis played on a table. To express the action of playing the sport, use the verb 打 (dǎ, to hit/play) followed by 乒乓球 (pīngpangqiú), resulting in the phrase 打乒乓球.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 乒乓球 (pīngpangqiú) is composed of the onomatopoeic 乒乓 (ping-pong) and 球 (ball).
Which one should you use?
In Mainland China, 桌球 (zhuōqiú) often refers to billiards or snooker, so use 乒乓球 (pīngpangqiú) to avoid confusion when referring to table tennis. In some regions of Taiwan, people may use 桌球 (zhuōqiú) to mean table tennis.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Taiwan, people may say 桌球 (zhuōqiú), which literally means "tableball".
How do you pronounce it?
pīngpangqiú
What mistakes should you avoid?
In Mainland China, avoid using 桌球 (zhuōqiú) when you mean table tennis, as this may cause confusion with billiards or snooker. Use 乒乓球 (pīngpangqiú) instead.
Did you know?
- The phrase 乒乓外交 (pīngpāng wàijiāo), or 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy', describes the 1971 exchange of players that paved the way for US-China diplomatic relations.
- In China, table tennis is widely considered the 'national ball game' and is often referred to as 国球 (guóqiú), meaning 'national ball'.
- The word 球 (qiú) used in 乒乓球 is a common suffix for almost all ball-related sports in Chinese, such as 'basketball' or 'football'.
Examples in context
- 中国乒乓球队进行了一个月的封闭式冬训。The China National Table Tennis Team had a month's closed training in winter.This sentence is useful for seeing how to refer to the China National Table Tennis Team using 乒乓球.Tatoeba #1583540 by trieuho, translation #1583542 by trieuho
- 你会打乒乓球吗？Can you play table tennis?
- 明天我们一起去打乒球吧！Let's go play table tennis together tomorrow!
- 我最喜欢的运动是乒乓球。My favorite sport is table tennis.
- 我非常喜欢打乒乓球。Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuān dǎ pīngpāngqiú.I really like playing table tennis.
- 这套乒乓球拍很专业。Zhè tào pīngpāngqiú pāi hěn zhuānyè.This set of table tennis paddles is very professional.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about sports at a community center.
- 雨婷 Yuting志强，你会打乒乓球吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ huì dǎ pīngpāngqiú ma?Zhiqiang, do you know how to play table tennis?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我会一点儿，你想切磋一下吗？Wǒ huì yìdiǎnr, nǐ xiǎng qiēcuō yíxià ma?I know a little, do you want to play a match?
- 雨婷 Yuting好啊，我们去那边打吧。Hǎo a, wǒmen qù nàbiān dǎ ba.Sure, let's go play over there.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没问题，雨婷。Méi wèntí, Yǔtíng.No problem, Yuting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “table tennis” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
