How do you say "play" in Japanese?

プレイする

purei suru

Verb Katakana

In Japanese, "play" is プレイする (purei suru).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Purei suru has two words, pu-rei then su-ru, with rei rhyming with 'ray' and held clearly before moving to suru.

Writing and usage

プレイする is written using katakana. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

子どもたちは庭で遊んでいます。

kodomo tachiha niwa de asonde imasu.

The children play in the garden.

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How to remember プレイする

Purei suru starts with 'puh-ray', close to the English word play itself, so the sound is nearly a direct match.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about プレイする

How do you pronounce プレイする?

Purei suru has two words, pu-rei then su-ru, with rei rhyming with 'ray' and held clearly before moving to suru.

Is プレイする formal or casual?

プレイする is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is プレイする written in Japanese?

プレイする is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as purei suru.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Play" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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