副(ふく)キャプテン

ふくきゃぷてん

noun

vice-captain; deputy captain; assistant captain

1. the second-in-command of a sports team or similar group, who assists the captain and takes over when the captain is absent

Formed by attaching the prefix 副(ふく)- (vice-, deputy-) to キャプテン (captain). Used mainly in sports teams — baseball, soccer, rugby, volleyball, and so on — as well as in school clubs and some student-government and youth-group contexts. The 副(ふく)キャプテン is chosen to support the captain in leading the team and to step in as acting captain when the captain is absent or unable to play.

彼(かれ)はサッカー部(ぶ)の副(ふく)キャプテンだ。

He is the vice-captain of the soccer club.

今年(ことし)から副(ふく)キャプテンを務(つと)めることになった。

I have been made vice-captain starting this year.

キャプテンが欠場(けつじょう)したので、副(ふく)キャプテンがチームをまとめた。

Because the captain was out, the vice-captain held the team together.

彼女(かのじょ)は三年生(さんねんせい)になってバスケットボール部(ぶ)の副(ふく)キャプテンに選(えら)ばれ、後輩(こうはい)の面倒(めんどう)をよく見(み)ている。

In her third year she was chosen as vice-captain of the basketball club, and she takes good care of the younger members.

Compound of the prefix 副(ふく)- (vice-, deputy-, assistant-) + the loanword キャプテン (captain). The 副(ふく)- prefix is attached to many role and title words to indicate a second-in-command position.

Common collocations

副(ふく)キャプテンを務(つと)める: to serve as vice-captain
副(ふく)キャプテンに選(えら)ばれる: to be chosen as vice-captain
副(ふく)キャプテンに任命(にんめい)する: to appoint as vice-captain
チームの副(ふく)キャプテン: the team's vice-captain

Related words

キャプテン: captain (of a sports team or group)
主将(しゅしょう): team captain — the traditional Sino-Japanese equivalent of キャプテン, common in written sports coverage.
副主将(ふくしゅしょう): vice-captain — the Sino-Japanese equivalent of 副(ふく)キャプテン; used interchangeably in many contexts.
副(ふく)部長(ぶちょう): vice-president of a club (more administrative than team-oriented)

Register

Neutral. 副(ふく)キャプテン is common in everyday conversation, school-club contexts, and the popular press, while 副(ふく)主将(しゅしょう) tends to appear in more formal sports reporting and official team rosters.

THE PREFIX 副(ふく)-:
The same prefix yields a wide set of "vice-" or "deputy" titles:

副社長(ふくしゃちょう): vice president (of a company)
副会長(ふくかいちょう): vice chairperson
副大統領(ふくだいとうりょう): vice president (of a country)
副校長(ふくこうちょう): vice principal

Related Words

Related: 主将(しゅしょう) (team captain)

Related: 副部長(ふくぶちょう) (vice-president of a club)

Related: 副団長(ふくだんちょう) (deputy leader (of a group))

general

Added 2026.4.12 6:27 · Revised 2026.10.7 15:25

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