トランプ

• Reading: トランプ
• Romaji: toranpu
• Pronunciation: /to.ɾaɴ.pɯ/

Meaning

Playing cards; a deck of cards used for card games.

A loanword noun from English 'trump' (a winning card), used in Japanese to refer to playing cards in general — not just trump cards. Common expressions: トランプで遊ぶ (toranpu de asobu, to play cards), トランプゲーム (toranpu geemu, card game). The English term 'playing cards' would not be understood; トランプ is the standard Japanese word.

Examples

1. 家族でトランプをして遊んだ。 We played cards as a family.
2. トランプの中で一番好きなゲームは大富豪だ。 My favorite card game is Daifugou.
3. 旅行にトランプを持って行くと暇な時間に楽しめる。 If you bring playing cards on a trip, they're great for killing downtime.

Usage Guide

Context: games, leisure, family activities

Tone: casual

Origin & History

From English 'trump' (a winning suit in card games). When card games arrived in Japan, the frequently heard word 'trump' was adopted as the general term for playing cards themselves.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal