A traditional or soft ball, often made of cloth or used in games like handball. Can also refer to modern balls in certain contexts, but ボール is more common for Western-style sports balls.
The children are playing by bouncing a ball.
My grandmother made me a cloth ball.
kemari; ancient Japanese football
Only when written 鞠 / 毬
Specifically refers to the traditional court game kemari (蹴鞠), where players kick a deerskin ball and keep it in the air. Restricted to kanji 鞠 and 毬.
See also: 蹴鞠
Kemari was a pastime of the nobility in the Heian period.
The child is playing by bouncing a ball.
The nobles of the Heian period enjoyed kicking the kemari ball.
ボール is the general loanword for a modern sports ball, while 鞠 usually evokes a soft, traditional cloth or handmade ball.
玉 is a broader word for any round object or ball, whereas 鞠 specifically suggests a soft, traditional plaything ball.
Used for 鞠 because it's a round, ball-shaped object, which is typically counted with 個.
Standard kanji for the traditional ball and kemari; also used for modern balls in some contexts.
Kana spelling is common, especially in children's contexts or when the kanji is not needed.
Variant kanji, less common than 鞠 but still seen.
Irregular kanji usage; normally read たま or きゅう. May appear in older or poetic texts.
The word まり is of native Japanese origin, likely related to the verb まる (to round) or the adjective まるい (round). The kanji 鞠 and 毬 are Chinese characters adopted for their meaning 'ball'.