Usage patterns ゲームをする to play a game
On weekends I play games with friends.
ゲームに 勝か つ ／ 負ま ける to win / lose a game
We won the last game and took first place.
〈 人ひと 〉 とゲームをする to play a game with someone
I had fun playing a game with my little brother.
ゲームで 遊あそ ぶ to play around with/using a game
The kids are playing with the new game.
Related words· 6 遊び is the broad native Japanese word for play or fun activities in general, while ゲーム specifically means a structured game with rules, often digital.
試合 is used specifically for a sports match or competition, whereas ゲーム covers a wider range including video games and board games.
勝負 emphasizes the win-or-lose contest aspect of a match, while ゲーム is the neutral term for the activity itself.
ゲーム is the broad word for any kind of game (board, sports, video), while テレビゲーム specifically means a video game played on a home console connected to a TV.
Show 2 more Show fewer ゲーム is the standard full word for game, while ゲー is a casual spoken/slang abbreviation often used as a suffix in compounds.
ゲーム usually means a structured game with fixed rules (often video or board games), whereas 遊戯 can cover both free play and organized games with a more formal tone.
Word family· 147 game arcade; video arcade
smartphone game; mobile game
minigame; subgame; microgame · practice game; reduced-player game
gameplay
game app; mobile game application
Show 24 more Show fewer retro game; classic game
no game; called game
day game; daytime baseball game
death game
game developer; game designer
game, set and match; end of the game; end of the match
role-playing game; RPG
war game
seesaw game; back-and-forth match
mass calisthenics; mass gymnastics; group display
indie game; independent video game
bingo game
console game; home video game
strategy game
mobile game; social game · social network game
turning into a game; adaptation into a game · gamification
games behind; GB
playability; game-like quality
game tree
game console; video game console; gaming device
game brain; video-game-induced prefrontal cortex damage
good game; well-played match
batsu game; forfeit; punishment game
erotic video game
See all 147 in Explore →
Etymology Loanword from English 'game'.
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