n.
basketball
篮球
Common Usage & Traps
- 打篮球 — play basketball
- 篮球比赛 — basketball game or match
- 篮球场 — basketball court
- 看篮球比赛 — watch a basketball game
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踢篮球打篮球踢 is for foot sports like soccer. Basketball is a hand sport, so 踢篮球 sounds broken.
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玩篮球打篮球玩 means playing around or messing with a ball. For a real basketball game, Chinese uses 打篮球.
Why is 'play basketball' 打篮球, not 踢篮球 or 玩篮球?
Basketball is a hand sport, so Chinese says 打篮球, not 踢篮球 or 玩篮球.
Chinese picks the verb by body part, not by the English word 'play'. Basketball is played with hands, so it takes 打: 打篮球. Soccer is played with feet, so it takes 踢: 踢足球. 玩篮球 can mean messing around with a ball, not playing a real basketball game. “Ａ：你喜欢踢足球和打篮球吗？” (A: Do you like playing soccer and basketball?) ── [《你喜欢看老电影吗？》](/read/do-you-like-old-movies#s8)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Hand sport | 打篮球 | 踢篮球 |
| Standard 'play basketball' | 打篮球 | 玩篮球 |
| Foot sport for contrast | 踢足球 | 打足球 |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.
- Scene #1
Ａ：你喜欢踢足球和打 篮球 吗？
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