also: だま
noun
A general native word for a round or spherical object. 玉 is broad; 球 highlights the physical shape as a sphere or ball.
子どもが粘土を丸めて小さな玉を作った。
The child rolled clay into a small ball.
noun
Used when liquid forms visible round beads, especially sweat, dew, or tears.
額に汗の玉が浮かんでいた。
Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.
noun
sports ball; pitch
Only when written 球
Used for the ball in sports and, in baseball, for a pitched ball. 球 is especially common for this sense.
彼の投げる球はとても速い。
The balls he pitches are very fast.
noun
portion of noodles; bundle of noodles
Used for a rounded portion or bundle of noodles, often counted as 一玉, 二玉, and so on.
ラーメンの麺をもう一玉追加した。
I added one more portion of noodles to the ramen.
noun
light bulb
Only when written 球
Refers to the bulb part of a lamp or flashlight; often written 球 and somewhat old-fashioned beside 電球 or ランプ.
懐中電灯の球を交換した。
I replaced the bulb in the flashlight.
noun
lens
A lens of glasses or a similar optical item. Modern everyday Japanese more often uses レンズ, so 玉 can sound specialized or old-fashioned here.
眼鏡の玉に細かい傷がついている。
There are fine scratches on the lenses of the glasses.
noun
abacus bead
Only when written 玉 / 珠
The movable beads on an abacus; 玉 and 珠 are both attested for this meaning.
そろばんの玉を指ではじく。
Flick the beads of the abacus with your finger.
noun
balls; testicle
Only when written 玉
Slang abbreviation of 金玉; crude and informal, usually avoided in polite conversation.
See also: 金玉 (きんたま)
ボールが玉に当たって、彼はうずくまった。
The ball hit him in the balls, and he crouched down.
noun
Only when written 玉 / 珠
A jewel-like, often round precious object. 珠 is especially associated with pearls or jewel-like beads; figurative use is possible but can sound literary.
古い指輪には青い珠がはめ込まれていた。
A blue gem was set in the old ring.
彼女は玉のような肌をしている。
She has skin like a pearl.
noun
Rare, older use for a female entertainer such as a geisha, mainly encountered in historical or specialized contexts.
古い花街の文章では、芸者を玉と呼ぶことがある。
In old writing about entertainment districts, a geisha may be called 玉.
noun
character; sort of person
Derogatory or teasing use when judging someone's nature, often in phrases such as とんだ玉 or 変な玉.
あいつはとんだ玉だ。
He's a real piece of work.
noun
resource for a scheme; pawn; stake
Jargon-like use for a person, item, or funds used as part of a plot or scheme; not a general word for resources.
犯罪小説では、計画に使う人や金を玉と呼ぶことがある。
In crime fiction, people or money used in a scheme may be called 玉.
noun, noun, used as a suffix
Only when written 玉
Limited use of 玉 for an egg, especially as the 玉 element in 玉子 and related food terms; ordinary modern standalone 'egg' is 卵 or 玉子.
See also: 玉子
「玉子焼き」の玉は卵を表している。
The 玉 in 玉子焼き represents an egg.
noun, used as a suffix, counter
okonomiyaki; okonomiyaki portion
Only when written 玉
Food-counter or suffix use in okonomiyaki names and orders, such as 豚玉 and いか玉.
See also: お好み焼き
店のメニューには豚玉といか玉が並んでいる。
The shop's menu lists pork okonomiyaki and squid okonomiyaki.
noun, used as a suffix
Only when written 玉 · Only with reading だま
Suffix meaning a coin of a given denomination, normally read だま because of rendaku in compounds such as 十円玉.
財布に十円玉が三枚ある。
There are three ten-yen coins in my wallet.
noun, used as a suffix
precious; beautiful; excellent
Limited, mostly literary or fixed modifier use based on the idea of a jewel; not a productive everyday suffix for 'excellent'.
「玉の肌」は、美しい肌を宝石にたとえる古風な表現だ。
玉の肌 is an old-fashioned expression that compares beautiful skin to a jewel.