How to say "soccer" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe common everyday word for soccer as a sport; this is what you use in ordinary conversation and writing, whether talking about playing a match or following a league.
- nounA less common loanword from Italian for the sport; it appears mainly in football journalism and among enthusiasts, often with reference to Italian football in particular, and is seldom the everyday choice.
- nounThe sport's full name, adopted from the English term association football; used where the game is being named precisely, as in reference works, but less common than サッカー in everyday speech.
- ア式蹴球アしきしゅうきゅうnounA dated term for association football; you may run into it in older writing about the sport, but it is seldom the word you want — サッカー is the usual choice.
「サッカー」 is the everyday word for the sport; 「カルチョ」 is a less common Italian loanword used mainly in football media, 「アソシエーションフットボール」 is the full formal name, and 「ア式蹴球」 is a dated term.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- サッカーsoccer
- カルチョfootball
- アソシエーションフットボールassociation football
- ア式蹴球アしきしゅうきゅうassociation football
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
