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球 (きゅう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

球きゅう

きゅ

う

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

sphere; globe; ball; bulb

General word for a round three-dimensional object or shape. Can refer to anything from a ball to a light bulb.

地ち球きゅうは球きゅうに近ちかい形かたちをしている。
The Earth is nearly spherical in shape.
電でん球きゅうの球きゅうが切きれた。
The light bulb has burned out.

Kanji

球ball, sphere

Similar words

球きゅう体たい
球体 specifically refers to a solid spherical body, while 球 can be more general.
球きゅう面めん
球面 refers to the surface of a sphere, whereas 球 can mean the whole ball or sphere.
ボール
ボール is the common loanword for a sports ball or toy ball; 球 is more formal and broader.

Etymology

The kanji 球 is a phono-semantic compound: 王 (jewel) + 求 (phonetic, also suggesting 'round'). The reading きゅう is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi.

2

noun

mathematics

Mathematical term for a solid ball or its surface; see also 球体 and 球面.

See also: 球体 · 球面

半はん径けいrの球きゅうの体たい積せきを求もとめなさい。
Find the volume of a sphere with radius r.

3

counter

counter for pitches

baseball

Used in baseball to count pitches thrown.

彼かれは1球きゅうも無む駄だにしなかった。
He didn't waste a single pitch.