How to say 'Ball' or 'Jewel' in Japanese | 玉

Wondering how to say 'Ball' or 'Jewel' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Ball or Jewel is 'Tama', written as 玉 in Japanese.'Ball' or 'Jewel' in hiragana is たま.

word

玉

Meaning

Ball, Jewel

Reading

たま

tama

Kanji

玉Ball, Jewel

Explanation

The Japanese noun '玉 (たま)' has two primary meanings. The first is 'ball', referring to a spherical object, such as a sports ball or a decorative sphere. For example: The child is playing with a ball「子供が玉で遊んでいる」(こどもがたまであそんでいる). The second meaning is 'jewel', referring to a precious stone or gem. For example: She wore a beautiful jewel「彼女は美しい玉を身につけていた」(かのじょはうつくしいたまをみにつけていた). The context in which '玉' is used will determine whether it refers to a ball or a jewel. It is important to note that '玉' can also be used metaphorically to describe something valuable or precious, similar to how 'jewel' is used in English.

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

2208

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 玉

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

玉

Meaning

Ball, Jewel

Words Related to 玉 Through the Kanji 玉

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 玉 as well.

word

お年玉

Meaning

Money

word

玉ねぎ

Meaning

Onion

Learn the Word 玉

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What does 'Tama' (玉) mean?

'Tama' means 'Ball' or 'Jewel' .

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