How to say "shooting" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 発射はっしゃnoun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers shooting in the sense of firing or discharging a projectile such as a rocket or missile, or launching it. Use this for launches and discharges, not for shooting a person or a ball.
- noun, suru verb, transitive verbThe sports term: shooting a ball, as in a shot on basket or at goal. Use it for basketball, soccer, and similar games; it never refers to guns or weapons.
- 狙撃そげきnoun, suru verb, transitive verbShooting as deliberate, aimed shooting at a target — sniping. It implies taking careful aim at a specific target from a distance, as a sniper does, rather than firing in general.
- 銃撃じゅうげきnoun, suru verb, transitive verbThe usual word for shooting with a gun, especially shooting at or gunning down a person, as in an attack or incident. This is the default choice for news of shootings.
- 狩りかりnoun, noun (suffix)Hunting; it appears as a gloss for shooting only in the sense of shooting game or birds on a hunt. For any other sense of 'shooting' this is seldom the word you want.
Choose based on what is being shot: rockets or missiles, a ball in sports, sniping at a target, gunfire in general, or birds and game while hunting.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
