Japanese Soccer/Football

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Ever wondered how to say Soccer/Football in Japanese? How do you say game terms like penalty, foul, goalkeeper, goal, world cup and other words related to the most famous game in the world?

In this article, we are going to share with you Soccer/Football in Japanese language. Words and vocabulary related to football in Japanese, the famous Japanese language known as nihongo [日本語].

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How do you say Soccer/Football in Japanese?

The first thing you need to know is that football in Japanese is sakkaa [サッカー] and comes from the English language soccer, as football in US English refers to American football.

There is also the Japanese word shuukyuu [蹴球] to refer to football/soccer or ball sports. Currently this word is used to refer more to the predecessor of football/soccer called cuju that emerged in China.

A curiosity is the Japanese soccer team, nicknamed Samurai Blue (サムライ・ブルー). We recommend reading: Why does the Japan national team play in blue in football/soccer?

- kamamoto, nakata and nakamura: the legends of japanese football/soccer

How to say Goal in Japanese?

Goal in Japanese is said gooru [ゴール]🇧🇷 If there is an own goal, it is called oun gooru [オウンゴール]. Other related terms can be seen in the list below:

gooru wo yurusu [ゴールを許す] – Take a Goal, Concede
make [負け] – lose, defeat
haiboku [敗北] – defeated
hikiwake [引き分け] – A tie
doroo [ドロー] – draw, draw
douten gooru [同点ゴール] – equalizer
douten-san [同点弾] – tiebreaker
tokushittensa [得失点差] – Goal of Difference
nokku auto [ノックアウト] – deleted
tensa [点差] – difference of points
kikku [キック] – Kick
shuutoo [シュート～] – kick, shot
naishuu [ナイシュー] – nice kick

How to say Soccer Football World Cup in Japanese?

The Japanese often abbreviate world cup by using W杯 (daburu hai), which can also be written in katakana [ダブル杯]. The ideogram [杯] means cup, often referring to sake cup.

The Japanese also often use the English term “World Cup” [ワールドカップ]. To refer to the cup qualifiers, the term [ワールドカップ予選] is used.

The cup can also be called [FIFA ワールドカップ]. There is an interesting term in Japanese which is Whai netsu [W杯熱] which literally means world cup fever.

The schedule or schedule of World Cup matches is called shiai nittei [試合日程] . Group stages in Japanese are called guruupu riigu [グループリーグ] .

The quarterfinals is called junjun kesshou [準々決勝] . The semifinals are called jun kesshou [準決勝] . Runner-up in Japanese is jun yuushou [準優勝] .

The final tournament in Japanese is called kesshoo toonamento [決勝トーナメント]. The trophy is called torofii [トロフィー]. Another interesting term is walkover which can be said rakushou [楽勝].

Read too: Will Japan be able to beat the odds in the World Cup?

Soccer ball and trophy on grassy football pitch at stadium

Positions of Soccer Players in Japanese

Assistant Referee in Japanese can be derived from English ashisutanto referii [アシスタントレフェリー] . There is also a Japanese word for the assistant referee which is fukushin [副審]. The chief judge or arbiter is called the shushin [主審] , or referii .

The attacking player is called fowaado [フォワード] from English forward. We also have sutoraikaa [ストライカー] derived from the English striker . Defense in Japanese is difendaa [ディフェンダー] and also derives from English.

Midfielder in Japanese is called middofiirudaa [ミッドフィールダー]. Goalkeeper in Japanese is gooru kiipaa [ゴールキーパー] . Other player positions can be seen in the list at the end of the article.