ピンポン

ぴんぽん
noun, onomatopoeia
ping-pong; doorbell chime
informalsportsonomatopoeia
1. ping-pong; table tennis (informal)
The sport of table tennis. An informal, everyday term compared to the official 卓球(たっきゅう).
ピンポンをしよう。
Let's play ping-pong.
昼休(ひるやす)みにピンポンで遊(あそ)んだ。
We played ping-pong during lunch break.
小学校(しょうがっこう)の頃(ころ)はよく友達(ともだち)とピンポンをして遊(あそ)んでいた。
When I was in elementary school, I often played ping-pong with friends.
2. doorbell chime; ding-dong sound
The sound a doorbell makes, or the act of ringing a doorbell. Also used as an onomatopoeia for a correct-answer chime on quiz shows.
ピンポンが鳴(な)った。
The doorbell rang.
夜(よる)遅(おそ)くにピンポンを押(お)すのはやめてほしい。
I wish they'd stop ringing the doorbell late at night.
ピンポンダッシュをする子(こ)どもがいて困(こま)っている。
There are kids doing ding-dong ditch and it's a problem.

A versatile onomatopoeic loanword with two distinct meanings in everyday Japanese. As a sport, ピンポン is the casual everyday term, while 卓球(たっきゅう) is the formal/official name used in competitive contexts. As a sound, it imitates a two-tone doorbell chime and is also the correct-answer sound effect on TV quiz shows.

Common collocations

  • ピンポンをする: to play ping-pong
  • ピンポン台(だい): ping-pong table
  • ピンポン玉(だま): ping-pong ball
  • ピンポンが鳴(な)る: the doorbell rings
  • ピンポンを押(お)す: to press the doorbell
  • ピンポンダッシュ: ding-dong ditch (prank)

Usage

On quiz shows, ピンポン signals a correct answer (the opposite being ブー for incorrect). The phrase ピンポン！ can be used colloquially to mean "correct!" or "bingo!"

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 卓球(たっきゅう) (table tennis)
Compare: インターホン (intercom)
Compare: チャイム (chime)
Compare: 卓球台(たっきゅうだい) (table tennis table)
general
Added 2026.5.7 1:07 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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