篮球

• Pinyin: lán qiú
• Hanzi breakdown: 篮 (lán) — basket (竹 bamboo + 监 phonetic); 球 (qiú) — ball

Meaning

Basketball. A sport played by two teams of five players who score by throwing a ball through a hoop.

One of the most popular sports in China. The word can refer to both the sport itself and the ball used to play it. The NBA has a huge following in China.

Examples

1. 他很喜欢打篮球。 He really likes playing basketball.
2. 我们下午一起去打篮球吧。 Let's go play basketball this afternoon.
3. 学校的篮球场在那边。 The school's basketball court is over there.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, everyday, school

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你会打篮球吗？(Can you play basketball?)
• 我们学校的篮球队很强。(Our school's basketball team is very strong.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'玩篮球' (Don't use 玩 with basketball — the correct verb is 打篮球, not 玩篮球)

Origin & History

Compound of 篮 (basket) and 球 (ball). A direct translation of the English word 'basketball.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal