Japanese symbol for “sphere”
球
きゅう
Romaji: kyuu
sphere; globe; ball; bulb
In Japanese, sphere is 球, read きゅう (kyuu).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n sphere; globe; ball; bulb
- n ball; sphere (math)
- ctr counter for pitches (baseb)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sphere”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 分野 | ぶんや bun'ya | field; sphere; realm |
| 範囲 | はんい han'i | extent; scope; sphere |
| 玉 | たま tama | ball; sphere; globe |
| 世界 | せかい sekai | sphere; circle; world |
| 舞台 | ぶたい butai | sphere (of activity); stage (e.g. political stage); scene |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地球 | ちきゅう chikyuu | Earth; the globe |
| 野球 | やきゅう yakyuu | baseball |
| 球団 | きゅうだん kyuudan | baseball team |
| 卓球 | たっきゅう takkyuu | table tennis; ping-pong |
| 電球 | でんきゅう denkyuu | light bulb |
| 球場 | きゅうじょう kyuujou | baseball stadium; ballpark |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sphere”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.