How to say "bounce" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • noun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe katakana loanword for the bounce of a ball or object off a surface; it is the natural word in sports talk, as in a ball bouncing awkwardly off the ground.
    球たまはバウンドして塀へいを越こえた。↗
    The ball bounced over the wall.
  • はずみCommon
    nounA noun for the bounce, spring or rebound itself — the springing motion or resilience of something, as in a ball's rebound — rather than the act of bouncing; it is the noun counterpart of 弾む.
  • 弾むはずむJLPT N1approx.Common
    godan verb, intransitive verbThe verb for the action itself: to spring, bound or bounce. Use it when something physically bounces, like a ball off the ground, or when someone bounds along with a springing step.
    ボールははずんで塀へいを飛び越とびこえた。↗
    The ball bounced over the wall.
  • ばねJLPT N2approx.Common
    nounEssentially the word for a spring, here the spring in one's legs: the bounce or springiness in a person's jump rather than the bounce of a ball. It is usually written in kana alone.

Use the verb 「弾む」 for the action of bouncing, 「バウンド」 for the bounce of a ball as in sports, 「はずみ」 for the bounce or rebound as a noun, and 「ばね」 for the spring in one's legs.

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

Japanese equivalents
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JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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