オセロ
おせろ
noun
Othello; Reversi
1.
Othello; Reversi
A strategy board game played with black and white discs on an 8x8 grid.
オセロで遊ぼう。
Let's play Othello.
オセロが強い。
To be good at Othello.
オセロの駒。
Othello pieces.
オセロ is the Japanese trademarked name for the board game known internationally as Reversi. It was popularized in Japan in the 1970s and remains one of the most widely recognized board games.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- オセロで遊ぶ: to play Othello
- オセロが強い: to be good at Othello
- オセロの駒/石: Othello pieces/discs
- 角を取る: to take a corner (key strategy)
- ひっくり返す: to flip (discs)
USAGE:
オセロ is a trademark owned by MegaHouse in Japan. The generic term is リバーシ (Reversi), though オセロ is far more commonly used in everyday speech.
CULTURAL NOTE:
The name comes from Shakespeare's "Othello" — the contrast between 黒 (black) and 白 (white) discs mirrors the play's themes. The game is popular as a family activity and commonly found in game collections alongside 将棋 and 囲碁.