Badminton & table tennis in Chinese 羽毛球和乒乓球
yǔmáoqiú hé pīngpāngqiú
Table tennis in Chinese is 乒乓球 (pīng pāng qiú).
Also searched for as: ping pong in Chinese, table tennis in Chinese, badminton in Chinese, racket sports.
China's favourite racket sports, from the park to the pros. 15 essential badminton & table tennis words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Badminton in Chinese is 羽毛球 (yǔ máo qiú), literally 'feather ball', and table tennis is 乒乓球 (pīng pāng qiú), named after the sound of the ball. Both are hugely popular in China, played in parks, sports centres and school halls, and Chinese players are famous in both sports. Words like 发球 (fā qiú, to serve) and 双打 (shuāng dǎ, doubles) will help you arrange a game and keep score.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 羽毛球 | yǔ máo qiú | badminton |
| 乒乓球 | pīng pāng qiú | table tennis; ping-pong |
| 球拍 | qiú pāi | racket; bat |
| 订场 | dìng chǎng | to book a court |
| 发球 | fā qiú | to serve; serve |
| 旋转 | xuán zhuǎn | spin |
| 杀球 | shā qiú | to smash (badminton) |
| 网前 | wǎng qián | at the net |
| 正手 | zhèng shǒu | forehand |
| 反手 | fǎn shǒu | backhand |
| 出界 | chū jiè | out (of bounds) |
| 擦网 | cā wǎng | to clip the net; net cord |
| 单打 | dān dǎ | singles |
| 双打 | shuāng dǎ | doubles |
| 再来一局 | zài lái yī jú | one more game |
Usage tips
- The verb for both sports is 打 (dǎ): 打羽毛球 (dǎ yǔ máo qiú), 打乒乓球 (dǎ pīng pāng qiú). Indoor courts often need booking, so 订场 (dìng chǎng) is a word you'll use a lot.
- 球拍 (qiú pāi) covers both a badminton racket and a table-tennis bat, and 杀球 (shā qiú), literally 'kill the ball', is the word for a smash in badminton.
- Players use 局 (jú) for a game within a match, so 再来一局 (zài lái yī jú) is 'one more game' and 第一局 (dì yī jú) is the first game.
Common mistakes
- Saying 玩羽毛球 (wán yǔ máo qiú) → it's understandable but sounds like messing about; say 打羽毛球 (dǎ yǔ máo qiú).
- Saying 出局 (chū jú) when the shuttle lands outside the lines → 出局 means being knocked out; a ball or shuttle that's out is 出界 (chū jiè).
Mini dialogue
- A下班一起去打羽毛球吧？Xià bān yī qǐ qù dǎ yǔ máo qiú ba?Fancy playing badminton after work?
- B好啊，你订场了吗？Hǎo a, nǐ dìng chǎng le ma?Sure, have you booked a court?
- A订了，七点到八点。我们打单打还是双打？Dìng le, qī diǎn dào bā diǎn. Wǒ men dǎ dān dǎ hái shì shuāng dǎ?Yes, seven to eight. Shall we play singles or doubles?
- B单打吧。不过我的球拍线断了。Dān dǎ ba. Bù guò wǒ de qiú pāi xiàn duàn le.Singles. But my racket string has snapped.
- A没事，我多带一个球拍。Méi shì, wǒ duō dài yī gè qiú pāi.No problem, I'll bring a spare racket.
Example sentences
- 下班一起去打羽毛球吧。Let's play badminton after work.
- 中国的乒乓球特别厉害。China is amazing at table tennis.
- 我的球拍线断了。My racket string has snapped.
- 周末要提前订场。You have to book a court in advance at weekends.
- 现在该你发球了。It's your serve now.
- 他的发球旋转特别强，很难接。His serve has so much spin it's really hard to return.
- 他杀球速度特别快。His smashes are really fast.
- 她网前技术特别好。She's really good at the net.
- 我的正手比反手好。My forehand is better than my backhand.
- 他反手有点儿弱。His backhand is a bit weak.
- 这个球出界了。That one was out.
- 乒乓球发球擦网要重发。In table tennis, a serve that clips the net is taken again.
- 你喜欢单打还是双打？Do you prefer singles or doubles?
- 我们周末打双打吧。Let's play doubles at the weekend.
- 别走，再来一局！Don't go, one more game!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Badminton & table tennis speaking island has 8 everyday questions about badminton & table tennis to prepare your own answers to.