球 qiú — ball; sphere
地球是我们共同的家园。Dì qiú shì wǒ men gòng tóng de jiā yuán.Earth is our shared home.
Common words: 打球 (dǎ qiú)、地球 (dì qiú)、球队 (qiú duì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "ball"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "ball", including 球 (qiú), 弹 (dàn / tán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "ball" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 球 (qiú), 弹 (dàn / tán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qiú, dàn, tán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 球 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 球 qiúball; sphereUseful words: 打球, 地球
- 弹 dàn / táncrossball; bullet; shot; shell; ball; impeachUseful words: 子弹, 炸弹
Common words for these 2 "ball" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 球 (qiú) — so "ball" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "ball".
弹 dàn / tán — crossball; bullet; shot; shell; ball; impeach
他会弹钢琴。Tā huì tán gāng qín.He can play the piano.
Common words: 子弹 (zǐ dàn)、炸弹 (zhà dàn)、导弹 (dǎo dàn)
All 2 characters
Open 球、弹 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.