1.
ball, sphere
A round object.
玉を転がす。
To roll a ball.
水玉もようのシャツ。
A polka-dot shirt.
百円玉を拾った。
I picked up a hundred-yen coin.
2.
gem, jewel
A precious stone.
玉のような肌。
Skin like a gem (flawless skin).
玉に瑕というやつだ。
It's what you'd call a fly in the ointment.
Lit: a flaw in a jewel.
宝石の玉が光っている。
The gemstone is gleaming.
3.
bullet
A projectile for firearms.
鉄砲の玉。
A gun bullet.
玉が飛んできた。
A bullet came flying.
玉が当たって壁に穴が開いた。
A bullet hit and made a hole in the wall.
玉 refers to round objects, gems, or balls. The kanji can also be read as ぎょく in some compounds.
COMMON COMPOUNDS:
- 目玉: eyeball
- 玉子: egg (also written 卵)
- 玉ねぎ: onion
- 水玉: polka dots, water droplet
- 玉入れ: ball-toss game
- 百円玉: 100-yen coin
EXPRESSIONS:
- 玉に瑕: a fly in the ointment (lit. a flaw in a gem)
- 玉のような肌: flawless skin (lit. skin like a gem)
READINGS:
- たま: native Japanese reading (round object, ball)
- ぎょく: Sino-Japanese reading in 玉座 (throne), 宝玉 (jewel)
NOTE:
Can refer to bullets (鉄砲玉) in informal speech.