パチンコ

ぱちんこ
noun
pachinko; Japanese pinball gambling
1. pachinko; Japanese pinball-style gambling machine
A popular Japanese gambling game played on vertical machines where metal balls are shot and fall through pins, with prizes exchangeable for cash at separate locations.
駅前(えきまえ)にパチンコ屋(や)がたくさんある。
There are many pachinko parlors in front of the station.
父(ちち)は週末(しゅうまつ)によくパチンコに行(い)く。
My father often goes to play pachinko on weekends.
パチンコで大当(おおあ)たりした。
I hit the jackpot at pachinko.

CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Pachinko is one of Japan's most popular forms of gambling entertainment. Due to gambling laws, pachinko parlors cannot directly pay cash prizes. Instead, players exchange their balls for prizes, which can then be sold for cash at nearby exchange shops.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • パチンコを打(う)つ (to play pachinko)
  • パチンコに行(い)く (to go to pachinko)
  • パチンコ屋(や)/パチンコ店(てん) (pachinko parlor)
  • 大当(おおあ)たり (jackpot)

ETYMOLOGY:
The name comes from the onomatopoeia パチン (the sound of balls hitting pins).

RELATED:

  • スロット (slot machines, often found in same parlors)

Related Words

Related: スロット (slot machine)
general
Added 2026.1.19 13:35 · Revised 2026.2.3 23:48
07000/07325_pachinko