Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week's lesson takes inspiration from our newest JUMP START, Buddy Strike. It's great having another manga by KAITO Sensei in the weekly magazine. If you haven't checked out Cross Manage yet, you're missing out on one charming series. Buddy Strike is all about baseball, so let's take a look at some of the Japanese terms for this sport that came from America.

YAKYU (やきゅ)

YAKYU means "baseball," and it's made up of the kanji symbols for "field" and "ball." Baseball is played on a large field, so that makes sense. Chapter 1 of Buddy Strike didn't really show much of the baseball field because the focus was on the pitcher and catcher. It'll be interesting to see an entire baseball team come together in the next few chapters.

TAMA (たま)

TAMA means "ball." It's the same kanji as the KYU in YAKYU but is pronounced differently. Many sports that feature balls use this kanji. One example would be HAIKYU, which means "volleyball."

BOUTOU (ぼうとう)

BOUTOU is the baseball term for a wild pitch. A wild pitch is when the catcher cannot catch the pitcher's throw. This is very bad because it gives the runners on base the chance to advance and even score runs. So far in Buddy Strike, Arakami seems to be the king of the wild pitch. Hopefully his new catcher can improve his control!

SANSHIN (さんしん)

SANSHIN is the baseball term for a strikeout. A strikeout is basically a pitcher's biggest victory over a batter. I have a feeling that Arakami is going to be getting a lot of these in the future considering how fast he can throw a baseball.

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