Japanese word

蹴る

Pronunciation

Romajikeru

Meaning

  • verbkick

Example

公園でボールを蹴ります。kō en de bō ru o ke ri ma su

I kick a ball in the park.

Illustration for 蹴る (kick)

More examples

友達とボールを蹴ります。tomo dachi to bō ru o ke ri ma su

I kick a ball with my friend.

試合の前に、ボールを軽く蹴りました。shi ai no mae ni bō ru o karu ku ke ri ma shi ta

I kicked the ball lightly before the game.

Core concept

Expresses sending something away by hitting it with the foot.

Common phrases

  • ボールを蹴るbō ru o ke ru

    kick a ball

  • 地面を蹴るji men o ke ru

    kick the ground

Similar words

蹴飛ばすketobasu: To kick something with enough force to send it far away.
蹴り上げるkeriageru: To kick something upward into the air.
蹴り込むkerikomu: To kick something into a target, goal, or enclosed space.

Definition in Japanese

足を物に当てて勢いよく前方へ動かす。ashi o mono ni a te te ikio i yo ku zen pō e ugo ka su

Word origin

蹴る (keru) is an inherited Japanese verb, and its spelling uses 蹴 (shū, "kick"), a Chinese character adopted for its meaning rather than its sound; it is not a compound of Japanese kanji readings.

Usage tips

  • In sports talk, 蹴る (keru) covers the foot action for both passing and shooting a ball, while the surrounding words show the intended play.

Related words

  • 蹴りkerikicknoun
  • 蹴り方kerikataway of kickingnoun

Word lists with this word