Japanese word

リレー

Pronunciation

Romajirirē

Meaning

  • nounrelay race

Example

学校のリレーで優勝しました。gak kō no ri rē de yū shō shi ma shi ta

We won the school relay race.

Illustration for リレー (relay race)

More examples

リレーでは、バトンを落とさないことが大切です。ri rē de wa ba to n o o to sa na i ko to ga tai setsu de su

In a relay race, it is important not to drop the baton.

Core concept

Describes passing something onward through successive people, stages, or devices.

Common phrases

  • リレーを走るri rē o hashi ru

    run in a relay race

  • リレーのバトンri rē no ba to n

    relay baton

  • リレーのチームri rē no chī mu

    relay team

Similar words

駅伝ekiden: A long-distance relay race in which runners pass a sash between stages.
継走keisō: A formal term for a race in which team members run in succession and pass an item between them.

Definition in Japanese

人や装置が受け取ったものを次へ順に引き継ぐこと、またはその競技や装置。hito ya sō chi ga u ke to tta mo no o tsugi e jun ni hi ki tsu gu ko to ma ta wa so no kyō gi ya sō chi

Word origin

The Japanese noun リレー (rirē) is borrowed from English relay, which comes from French relais, meaning a relay station or a fresh team.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, リレー (rirē) can refer to a broadcast transmitted from a remote site, so the word appears in media contexts as well as sports.

Other meanings

  • electrical relaynoun

Word lists with this word