運動靴（うんどうぐつ、undoうgutsu）
- athletic shoes

The Japanese word 運動靴 運動靴 means "athletic shoes," "sneakers," or "tennis shoes." It refers to shoes specifically designed for physical activities and exercise. 運動靴 typically have rubber soles for grip and are designed for comfort and support during movement. They can be used for running, playing sports, or simply for everyday casual wear.

⚫︎ 新しい運動靴を買いました。 Translation: I bought new athletic shoes. ⚫︎ 彼は毎朝、公園で運動靴を履いてジョギングします。 Translation: He jogs in the park every morning wearing athletic shoes.

You use 運動靴 when talking about footwear specifically made for exercise or physical activity. It's a common word, and you can use it in various situations where you're discussing shoes for sports, workouts, or casual wear that resembles sports shoes. It is often used to differentiate them from formal shoes or other types of footwear.

⚫︎ The word is typically written with kanji: 運動靴. ⚫︎ The reading (hiragana) is うんどうぐつ. ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎ There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ スニーカー (sunīkā) - sneakers (loanword). ⚫︎ シューズ (shūzu) - shoes (generic term, but often used for sports shoes depending on context).

While there isn't a direct antonym, you can think of opposite types of shoes, such as: ⚫︎ 革靴 (kutsuka) - leather shoes, dress shoes. ⚫︎ サンダル (sandaru) - sandals. ⚫︎ ブーツ (būtsu) - boots.

今日は運動靴を履いて、学校に行きました。 ・Translation: I wore athletic shoes to school today. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the type of shoes worn to school, specifying 運動靴.

あの店には、色々な種類の運動靴が売っています。 ・Translation: That store sells various types of athletic shoes. ・Explanation: This sentence mentions the variety of athletic shoes available at a shop.

⚫︎ 運動 (undō) means "exercise" or "sports." ⚫︎ 靴 (kutsu) means "shoes." ⚫︎ Therefore, 運動靴 is a compound word literally meaning "exercise shoes" or "sports shoes."