まり

まり
noun
ball; decorative ball
cultureleisure
1. ball; handball; bouncing ball
A traditional ball used in Japanese games and play. Often refers specifically to a small, round ball bounced by hand.
子(こ)どもがまりをついている。
A child is bouncing a ball.
庭(にわ)でまりを投(な)げて遊(あそ)んだ。
We played throwing a ball around in the garden.
昔(むかし)の子(こ)どもたちは、お正月(しょうがつ)にまりつきをして遊(あそ)んだそうだ。
I hear that children in the old days used to play ball-bouncing games at New Year's.
2. temari; decorative thread ball
A highly decorative ball wrapped in colorful thread, originally a children's toy but now valued as a folk art and craft.
祖母(そぼ)が手作(てづく)りのまりをくれた。
My grandmother gave me a handmade temari ball.
色(いろ)とりどりの糸(いと)で巻(ま)かれたまりが飾(かざ)られていた。
Temari balls wrapped in colorful threads were on display.
加賀(かが)の手(て)まりは伝統(でんとう)工芸品(こうげいひん)として全国(ぜんこく)に知(し)られている。
Kaga temari are known throughout the country as traditional crafts.

An old Japanese word for ball, written in kanji as 鞠(まり) or 毬(まり). In modern Japanese, ボール is far more common for everyday balls, but まり retains a classical, literary feel and is still used in specific cultural contexts.

Common collocations

  • まりつき: ball-bouncing game (traditional New Year's play)
  • 手(て)まり: temari, decorative thread ball
  • まりを投(な)げる: to throw a ball
  • まりをつく: to bounce a ball

Cultural note

Temari (手(て)まり) originated as a children's toy but evolved into an elaborate folk art. Regions like Kaga (Ishikawa Prefecture) and Matsumoto (Nagano Prefecture) are famous for their distinctive temari styles. The word also appears in the well-known children's song あんたがたどこさ.

Similar words

  • ボール: ball — the standard modern word for any ball
  • 球(たま): sphere, ball — more general or technical

Related Words

Compare: ボール (ball)
general
Added 2026.5.1 20:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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