Japanese Word Entry

Kana:たま
Romaji:tama
Definitions:
  1. ball, sphere, globe, orb

  2. bead (of sweat, dew, etc.), drop, droplet

  3. ball (in sports)

  4. pile (of noodles, etc.)

  5. bullet

  6. bulb (i.e. a light bulb)

  7. lens (of glasses, etc.)

  8. bead (of an abacus)

  9. ball (i.e. a testicle)

  10. gem, jewel (esp. spherical; sometimes used figuratively), pearl

  11. female entertainer (e.g. a geisha)

  12. person (when commenting on their nature), character

  13. item, funds or person used as part of a plot

  14. egg

  15. okonomiyaki

  16. coin

  17. precious, beautiful, excellent

Alternative forms:
  • 球 【 たま (tama) 】

  • 珠 【 たま (tama) 】

  • 彈 〔弾〕 【 たま (tama) 】


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Chinese characters used in this word

jewel, ball, jade, precious stone, gem
Readings
Mandarin: ㄩˋ (yù)
Cantonese: juk6
Japanese: ギョク (gyoku)、 ゴク (goku) / たま (tama)、 たま- (tama-)、 -だま (-dama)
Korean: 옥 (og)
Vietnamese: ngọc, túc

ball, sphere, globe, round
Readings
Mandarin: ㄑㄧㄡˊ (qiú)
Cantonese: kau4
Japanese: キュウ (kyuu)、 グ (gu) / たま (tama)
Korean: 구 (gu)
Vietnamese: cầu

pearl, gem, jewel, precious stone
Readings
Mandarin: ㄓㄨ (zhū)
Cantonese: zyu1
Japanese: シュ (shu) / たま (tama)
Korean: 주 (ju)
Vietnamese: châu

bullet, twang, flip, snap, pellet, shot, shell
Readings
Mandarin: ㄉㄢˋ (dàn), ㄊㄢˊ (tán)
Cantonese: daan6
Japanese: ダン (dan)、 タン (tan) / ひ.く (hiku)、 はず.む (hazumu)、 たま (tama)、 はじ.く (hajiku)、 はじ.ける (hajikeru)、 ただ.す (tadasu)
Korean: 탄 (tan)
Vietnamese: đạn, đàn
Variants
Simplified Chinese form:
Simplified Japanese form: