football; soccer
足球
football; soccer
Soccer or football (足 foot + 球 ball); refers to the sport or ball. Pair with 踢足球 (kick/play soccer).
Common Usage & Traps
- 踢足球 — play soccer (literally 'kick soccer')
- 看足球 — watch soccer (on TV or at a stadium)
- 足球比赛 — a soccer match
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打足球踢足球English 'play' covers every sport, but Chinese splits by body part. Feet do the work in soccer, so it takes 踢. 打 belongs to hand sports like 打篮球.
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玩足球踢足球玩 is for toys, games and messing around. Using it for a competitive sport makes you sound like you are batting a plastic ball around the living room.
Why do you kick a soccer ball (踢足球) but hit a basketball (打篮球)?
Feet kick, hands hit. Soccer takes 踢, never 打.
“A:你喜欢踢足球和打篮球吗?” (A: Do you like playing soccer and basketball?)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Ball played with feet | 踢足球 | 打足球 |
| Hands-based ball sports | 打篮球 | 踢篮球 |
| Playing a real competitive sport | 踢足球 | 玩足球 |
Does 足球 mean the sport, or the actual ball you kick?
Both. 踢足球 is the hobby, 一个足球 is the object.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| The sport | 我周末踢足球。 | 我周末踢一个足球。 |
| The physical ball | 我买了一个足球。 | 我买了一个踢足球。 |
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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