1.
glass marble; small glass ball used as a toy
A small glass ball used as a children's toy, often in games where players flick or roll the marbles. The name likely comes from ビードロ (glass, from Portuguese vidro) plus 玉 (ball/sphere).
ビー玉で遊ぶ。
To play with marbles.
ビー玉がコロコロと転がった。
The marble went rolling along.
昔は放課後に友達とビー玉をして遊んだものだ。
I used to play marbles with friends after school back in the day.
The most common Japanese word for a glass marble as a toy. The name is thought to derive from ビードロ (glass, from Portuguese vidro) + 玉 (sphere/ball).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ビー玉で遊ぶ — to play marbles
- ビー玉を弾く — to flick a marble
- ビー玉遊び — playing marbles (as an activity)
RELATED WORDS:
- 玉: ball/sphere (general term)
- おはじき: flat disc-shaped game piece (similar traditional game)