スポーツ
スポーツ
supootsu
= sport / sports
スポーツ (supootsu) is the Japanese word for sports or a sport — borrowed directly from English but fully naturalized into everyday Japanese. It is used across every age group, from elementary school PE class to sports news broadcasts, and understanding it opens the door to a huge range of sports-related vocabulary in Japanese.
Supootsu covers the full range of athletic and competitive activities: team sports, individual sports, and recreational activities. Common phrases: スポーツをする (supootsu wo suru — to play sports), スポーツ観戦 (supootsu kansen — watching sports), スポーツジム (supootsu jimu — gym/sports club), スポーツカー (supootsu kaa — sports car), スポーツ選手 (supootsu senshu — athlete/sports player). In Japanese schools, 体育 (taiiku — physical education / PE) is the class, and supootsu is the general category of activities.
Japanese has a rich vocabulary built on the word supootsu. 生涯スポーツ (shougai supootsu — lifetime sports, recreational activities that can be enjoyed throughout life) is a common policy concept in Japanese health and physical education. The distinction between スポーツ (competitive/organized activities) and 運動 (undou — physical exercise/movement) is worth noting: 運動する (undou suru — to exercise) is broader and includes walking, stretching, and general physical activity.
スポーツ is a katakana loanword from English ‘sports.’ There is no kanji form.
Everyday use
子どもの頃からスポーツが好きで、今はバドミントンをやっている。
Kodomo no koro kara supootsu ga suki de, ima wa badominton wo yatte iru.
I have loved sports since I was a child and now play badminton.
Casual / Social Media
スポーツの秋到来！今年こそジム通い続けるぞ
Supootsu no aki tourai! Kotoshi koso jimu kayoi tsuzukeru zo
Sports autumn has arrived! This year I’ll definitely keep going to the gym
Formal / Cultural context
スポーツ庁は、国民の体力向上と健康増進を目的として、生涯スポーツ社会の実現に向けた各種施策を推進している。
Supootsu-chou wa, kokumin no tairyoku koujou to kenkou zoushun wo mokuteki toshite, shougai supootsu shakai no jitsugen ni muketa kakushu shisaku wo suishin shite iru.
The Japan Sports Agency is advancing various measures aimed at realizing a lifelong-sports society, with the goal of improving physical fitness and health among citizens.
スポーツの秋 (supootsu no aki — autumn of sports) is a famous Japanese expression linking the fall season to athletic activity. October 10 was formerly 体育の日 (Taiiku no Hi — Health and Sports Day, now called スポーツの日), a national holiday commemorating the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The phrase 食欲の秋・読書の秋・スポーツの秋 (shokuyoku no aki / dokusho no aki / supootsu no aki — autumn of appetite, reading, and sports) is a well-known triad celebrating autumn as a season of enrichment.
Japan’s relationship with specific sports reflects its culture in interesting ways. 野球 (yakyuu — baseball) is often called Japan’s national pastime and holds the cultural position that American football holds in the US. サッカー (sakkaa — soccer) has grown enormously since the J-League’s founding in 1993. 柔道 (juudou — judo), 剣道 (kendou — kendo), and 相撲 (sumou — sumo) are traditional martial arts elevated to national sports status. The breadth of what Japanese culture considers スポーツ — including 将棋 (shogi — strategic board game) in some contexts — reflects a broad view of competitive and skilled activity.
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