ノック

• Reading: ノック
• Romaji: nokku
• Pronunciation: /nok.kɯ/

Meaning

A knock; knocking on a door. Also refers to fungo hitting in baseball practice.

A katakana loanword from English 'knock' that functions as a noun and suru verb (ノックする). Most commonly used for knocking on doors (ドアをノックする). In baseball, ノック refers to the practice of hitting ground balls or fly balls to fielders (ノックを受ける). The word is more common than the native Japanese 叩く for door-knocking contexts.

Examples

1. ドアをノックしても誰も出てこなかった。 Even when I knocked on the door, nobody came out.
2. 面接の部屋に入る前に三回ノックした。 I knocked three times before entering the interview room.
3. 野球部の練習でコーチのノックを受けた。 I fielded the coach's fungos at baseball practice.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, business etiquette, baseball

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'knock.' Entered Japanese during the Meiji era with Western-style doors and buildings. The baseball sense also comes from English usage.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal