卓球
takkyū[ta̠k̚ʲkʲɨː]
In Japanese, table tennis is 卓球 (takkyū). Wiktionary also lists ピンポン (pinpon).
Meaning: game similar to tennis (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 卓球 | takkyū | [ta̠k̚ʲkʲɨː] (narrow) |
| ピンポン | pinpon | [pʲim põ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
The term refers to the sport of table tennis, a game similar to tennis.
Which one should you use?
卓球 is the standard term for the sport, while ピンポン is a more colloquial or casual term used to refer to the same game.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
卓球 is the standard and formal way to refer to the sport. ピンポン is a colloquial and informal way to say table tennis, often used in casual conversation or by children.
How do you pronounce it?
takkyū
Did you know?
- While 卓球 refers to the sport, the Japanese onomatopoeia ピンポン is also the standard sound used to represent a doorbell or an elevator arriving.
- While 卓球 is the sport, the word 球 is used in many Japanese sports, such as 野球 for baseball and 蹴球 for soccer.
- The word 卓球 uses the character 球, which is the same character used in the word for 'earth' or 'globe', highlighting the spherical nature of the ball.
Examples in context
- トムはテニスも卓球もうまい。Tom can play both tennis and table tennis well.This sentence shows how to use 卓球 when comparing two different sports.Tatoeba #2624160 by tommy_san, translation #1026855 by CK
- ピンポンは卓球とも呼ばれている。Ping-Pong is also called table tennis.This sentence uses 卓球 to explain that the game is also called ping-pong.Tatoeba #197245 by bunbuku, translation #34427 by AlanF_US
- あなたは卓球が得意ですか？Are you good at table tennis?
- 放課後に卓球をしましょう。Houkago ni takkyuu o shimashou.Let's play table tennis after school.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are talking in the school hallway.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮くん、放課後に卓球をしませんか？Ren-kun, houkago ni takkyuu o shimasen ka?Ren, would you like to play table tennis after school?
- 蓮 Renいいですね。やりましょう。Ii desu ne. Yarimashou.That sounds good. Let's do it.
- 陽葵 Himari体育館に道具がありますよ。Taiikukan ni dougu ga arimasu yo.The equipment is in the gym.
- 蓮 Renわかりました。楽しみです。Wakarimashita. Tanoshimi desu.Understood. I'm looking forward to it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “table tennis” translations and entries 卓球, ピンポン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
