How to say "marble" in Japanese

• マーブルCommon
  nounCovers the marbled pattern itself — a swirled, streaked look — rather than the stone or the toy ball; typical contexts include cakes and other designs with marbled coloring.
• ビー玉ビーだまCommon
  nounThe small glass ball used as a toy — the childhood-game sense of 'marble'; it does not refer to the stone or to a marbled pattern.
• 大理石だいりせきCommon
  nounThe stone: the hard, often veined rock used for sculpture, floors, and countertops; this is the word for 'marble' as a material, not the toy or the pattern.
  彼かれは大理石だいりせきを刻きざんで像ぞうを作つくった。↗

  He carved marble into a statue.

Use 大理石 for marble as a stone or material, 「ビー玉」 for the small glass toy ball, and 「マーブル」 for a swirled, streaked marbled pattern or coloring rather than the material or the toy.

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

• マーブルmarble
• ビー玉ビーだまmarble
• 大理石だいりせきmarble