How do you say "referee" in Japanese?

審判

shinpan

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "referee" is 審判 (shinpan).

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Pronunciation

Say shin-PAN, two syllables with a firm nasal shin and a clear final pan.

Writing and usage

審判 is written using kanji. It's a noun, 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

審判が笛を吹いた。

shinpan ga fue wo fui ta.

The referee blew the whistle.

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How to remember 審判

Shinpan sounds like 'shin, pan' - picture the referee blowing the whistle so sharply it could crack a frying pan.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 審判

How do you pronounce 審判?

Say shin-PAN, two syllables with a firm nasal shin and a clear final pan.

Is 審判 formal or casual?

審判 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 審判 written in Japanese?

審判 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as shinpan.

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.

"Referee" 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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