1.
practice range; training ground; rehearsal space
A facility or designated area used for practicing a sport, performing art, or other activity. The most widely recognized type in Japan is a ゴルフ練習場 (driving range), but the word applies equally to baseball, martial arts, dance, and music rehearsal spaces.
ゴルフ練習場に行く。
To go to a golf driving range.
野球チームの練習場はここから遠い。
The baseball team's practice ground is far from here.
試合の前日は、代表選手が練習場で最終調整を行った。
The day before the match, the national-team players did their final tuning at the practice ground.
吹奏楽部は、新しい練習場として学校の体育館の一角を使えるようになった。
The wind ensemble club was now able to use a corner of the school gym as a new practice space.
Composed of 練習 (practice, drill) + 場 (place, venue — voiced here). A general-purpose word for any designated place where people go to practice something. Unlike the English "practice," it always refers to a physical location, not the activity.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ゴルフ練習場: golf driving range
- 野球の練習場: baseball practice field
- 屋内練習場: indoor practice facility
- 練習場に通う: to commute to a practice facility (regularly)
- 練習場を借りる: to rent a practice space
COMMON TYPES IN JAPAN:
- ゴルフ練習場: driving range — typically a tall net-enclosed structure; extremely common in Japanese cities and suburbs
- バッティング練習場: batting center / batting range
- 武道の練習場: martial arts practice hall
- ダンスの練習場: dance rehearsal studio
- 音楽練習場: music rehearsal room
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 道場: dojo — specifically a practice hall for martial arts or traditional disciplines, with connotations of mentorship and tradition.
- 練習: practice (the activity, not the place).
- 競技場: stadium; athletic field — for holding matches, not primarily for practice.
- スタジオ: studio — a rented space for dance, music, or photography practice.
USAGE:
Context determines what kind of practice is meant. Without a qualifier, Japanese speakers most often think of a golf driving range — those blue-netted structures are iconic in Japanese cities. For other sports or arts, the specific activity is usually attached: テニスの練習場, ダンスの練習場, and so on.