Watching basketball
The Bリーグ has made basketball a big night out in Japan, with music, lights and loud home crowds. This lesson is for the fan side: going to a game, talking about the national team, and Japanese players in the NBA. Tap to hear any line. The bar at the bottom plays a hands-free drill for walking.
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25 words for fans
Each card shows a word and a line you'd say at the arena or about last night's game. Eight reuse words from Everyday Japanese 1–2 and Lesson 1.
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Japanese basketball at a glance
The professional leagues, the national teams, the school tournaments and the NBA: what they are and what you'd say.
| Name | What it is | Say it |
|---|
- Boosters. B.League fans are called ブースター. Arenas give out clappers and tell the crowd when to cheer.
- Famous firsts. Yuta Tabuse was the first Japanese player in the NBA (2004). Rui Hachimura was the first Japanese player picked in the first round of the NBA draft (2019).
- Morning games. NBA games are on in the Japanese morning, so fans talk about them at lunch.
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Three patterns to use today
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Say it in Japanese
Say each one out loud before you reveal the answer. Getting close counts.