サッカー

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 彼はサッカーが上手です。▶ —
   He is good at soccer.
2. Jリーグの試合を観に行きました。▶ —
   I went to watch a J-League match.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Sakkaa (サッカー) is the katakana loan from English "soccer" — Japan adopted baseball first, so soccer settled later (postwar, ~1960s in earnest). Although British in origin, Japan took the American "soccer" term (British "football" risked confusion with American football). The J-League (Jリーグ) launched in 1993 — a latecomer compared to ~100 years of baseball and ~30 years of soccer history. The Nihon daihyou (national team) reached the round of 16 in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, 2010, 2018, and 2022. Waarudo Kappu (FIFA World Cup) runs every 4 years. Baseball and soccer are Japan's two mass sports — baseball is an American heritage thoroughly Japanized, soccer is global / Western. Soccer popularity is rising but baseball still leads in attendance, ratings, and media coverage. British "football" maps to futtoboru in Japanese but is rarely used — the American "soccer" loan is the default.

Quick check

1. Why did Japan adopt American "soccer" over British "football"?

   • To avoid confusion with American football
   • Because the US first introduced soccer
   • Easier pronunciation
   • Kanji-translatable