How to say "athletics" in Japanese

• アスレチックCommon
  nounA katakana loanword covering athletics and sports in a loose, general way; in practice it often suggests athletic training or fitness facilities, such as the obstacle courses set up in parks.
• アスレチックスCommon
  nounThe same loanword as アスレチック, given an English-style plural ending; it carries the same general 'athletics; sports' sense, and learners need not look for any difference in meaning.
• 陸上競技りくじょうきょうぎCommon
  nounThe term for athletics as a competitive sport: track and field, with its running, jumping and throwing events. Choose this when 'athletics' means the sport itself rather than exercise in general.
  陸上りくじょう競技会きょうぎかいは大雨おおあめのため中止ちゅうしになった。↗

  The track meet was called off on account of the heavy rain.
• 運動うんどうJLPT N4approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbMatches 'athletics' only in the loose sense of physical exercise or working out; it refers to bodily activity and training in general, so it is seldom the word you want for the sport.
  その運動うんどうをして若返わかがえった。↗

  The exercise took years off me.
• 陸上りくじょうCommon
  nounA short form of 陸上競技 with the same meaning; in everyday conversation about track and field, this shorter version is what Japanese speakers typically reach for.

For athletics as the competitive sport of track and field, use 陸上競技 or its abbreviation 陸上; 「アスレチック」 and 「アスレチックス」 are loanwords for sports or athletic training generally, while 運動 means physical exercise, not the sport.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• アスレチックathletics
• アスレチックスathletics
• 陸上競技りくじょうきょうぎtrack and field
• 運動うんどうexercise
• 陸上りくじょうtrack and field