野球（やきゅう、yakyuu）
- baseball

The Japanese word 野球 means "baseball." It refers to the sport played with a bat and ball between two teams, involving pitching, batting, fielding, and running bases. It's a hugely popular sport in Japan, with professional leagues and widespread amateur participation. 野球 (baseball) includes all aspects related to the sport, including the game itself, the equipment, and the people involved.

⚫︎ 週末は公園で野球をしました。 Translation: I played baseball in the park on the weekend. ⚫︎ 彼はプロの野球選手になりたいと思っています。 Translation: He wants to become a professional baseball player. ⚫︎ 日本野球機構（NPB）は日本のプロ野球リーグです。 Translation: The Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is Japan's professional baseball league.

You use 野球 to talk about baseball in any context. ⚫︎ It is used to refer to the game. ⚫︎ Talking about watching games. ⚫︎ Describing playing the sport. ⚫︎ Or discussing the rules, players, and teams.

⚫︎ The word 野球 is typically written in kanji: 野球. ⚫︎ The reading is やきゅう in hiragana. ⚫︎ There is no katakana version. ⚫︎ The okurigana is standard, with no variations.

There are no direct synonyms, as 野球 is the specific term for baseball.

There are no direct antonyms for 野球. You might contrast it with other sports, but there isn't a single word that is the opposite of baseball.

私は野球が好きで、よくテレビで試合を見ます。 ・Translation: I like baseball and often watch games on TV. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses a personal interest in 野球 and describes a common activity related to the sport.

あのチームは野球でとても強いです。 ・Translation: That team is very strong in baseball. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the strength of a team in the context of 野球.

The word 野球 is a compound word. ⚫︎ 野 (ya) means "field" or "open ground." ⚫︎ 球 (kyū) means "ball." ⚫︎ It's a direct translation of the English word "baseball" itself, emphasizing the playing field and the ball.