球 means “ball, sphere”

きゅう · kyuu

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

たま

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キュウ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 3 · 11 strokes

The story

A jewel (王, the jade radical) polished round, with 求 lending the sound kyuu: a sphere. 野球 is baseball, a summer obsession at the Koshien high school tournament, and 地球, "the earth sphere", is the planet itself.

Used in 野球 (yakyuu, baseball), 地球 (chikyuu, the Earth), and 電球 (denkyuu, light bulb)

More from Victory & Defeat

• 負 lose
• 失 lose
• 段 step
• 敗 defeat
• 突 thrust
• 破 tear
• 抜 pull out
• 努 effort
• 倒 fall
• 戦 fight
• 勝 win
• 打 hit

Learn 球 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.