Key Facts
- Word: 테니스 (teniseu), noun, loanword origin
- Register: Neutral loanword.
Tennis in Korean: What Does 테니스 Mean?
테니스 is a neutral loanword for the sport. It combines with place and equipment: 테니스장 is the court and 테니스 라켓 is the racket. Other racket-sport words are 배드민턴 and 탁구, which is table tennis.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Say te-ni-seu with a final vowel that is short and weak. English "tennis" has two syllables, but Korean adds the vowel ㅡ after the final s, giving three. The RR teniseu is a close match to the spelling.
Example Sentences with 테니스
저는 테니스를 쳐요.
Jeoneun teniseureul chyeoyo.
I play tennis.
The standard hobby sentence. The verb 쳐요 means 'hit', which is how Korean describes racket and ball play.
주말에 친구와 테니스를 해요.
Jumare chinguwa teniseureul haeyo.
I play tennis with a friend on weekends.
A social plan. 친구와 is 'with a friend' and 주말에 is 'on the weekend', and this one uses 해요 (“do”) instead of 쳐요 (“hit”). Both have the same polite ending.
테니스장은 근처에 있어요.
Teniseujangeun geuncheoe isseoyo.
The tennis court is nearby.
A location sentence. 근처에 is 'nearby' and 있어요 reports existence, so the court is somewhere close.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 테니스를 치다 | play tennis |
| 테니스장 | tennis court |
| 테니스 라켓 | tennis racket |
Notice how the collocations split by object. The activity takes 치다, the place takes the suffix in 테니스장, and the gear is a separate noun phrase, 테니스 라켓. Keeping those three slots apart makes new sentences easy to build, and the second example simply swaps in 해요, another polite verb form.
The Mistake to Avoid
English "play tennis" leads some learners to 놀다, the verb for playing around or hanging out.
Wrong: 테니스를 놀다
Correct: 테니스를 치다, literally "hit tennis"
Also correct: 테니스를 하다 also works, as the second example shows.
테니스 Compared with Similar Words
Two other racket sports make a good contrast.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 배드민턴 | badminton | badminton |
| 탁구 | table tennis | table tennis |
Where Does the Word Come From?
테니스 is a loanword with no hanja.
At the Court: a First Tennis Lesson
A learner arrives for a lesson without a racket. The coach checks their experience and explains that equipment is available. The question is about ability, not membership.
Coach
테니스 처음 배우세요?
Teniseu cheoeum baeuseyo?
Is this your first time learning tennis?
Learner
네. 라켓을 빌릴 수 있어요?
Ne. Rakeseul billil su isseoyo?
Yes. Can I borrow a racket?
Coach
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Yes, here you are.
Learner
감사합니다. 어디에서 시작해요?
Gamsahamnida. Eodieseo sijakaeyo?
Thank you. Where do we start?
처음 means “for the first time”. 배우세요 is a polite question about learning, with respect shown to the listener. 빌릴 수 있어요 asks whether borrowing is possible. The learner names the racket because knowing the sport’s name alone does not explain what equipment they need.
How Do You Talk about Lessons and Matches?
테니스를 배우다 means to learn tennis. 테니스 레슨을 받다 means to take tennis lessons: literally, to receive a lesson. A person can say they are learning tennis even before they can confidently say they play it well. 레슨 is a common loanword in private coaching and lesson advertisements.
테니스를 잘 치다 means to play tennis well. Here 잘 describes skill. 테니스를 자주 치다 means to play tennis often; 자주 describes frequency. Someone can play often without playing especially well, so these phrases give different information about a tennis partner.
테니스 경기를 보다 means to watch a tennis match. Adding 경기, “match”, makes the object of watching explicit. The player uses 치다 or 하다 for participating; a spectator uses 보다 for watching. English “play” and “watch” therefore lead to quite different Korean sentences.
These are literal combinations rather than idioms. You do not need a special figurative expression to talk naturally about a tennis hobby, arrange a lesson or explain what you are watching.
Where Will You Hear or See 테니스?
A sports center may list 테니스 in its activity schedule, with a separate lesson time and instructor. 테니스장 points to the playing area. When a notice discusses a court reservation, it concerns access to that space; a 레슨 advertisement concerns coaching. Booking one does not by itself say anything about the other.
In hobby conversations, 테니스를 쳐요 is an ordinary answer about what you do in your free time. The phrase does not specify whether you play singles, doubles or competitively. Add the relevant detail when the listener needs it. Saying 테니스를 해요 is also possible, and both sentences have the same polite ending.
Sports coverage uses 테니스 경기 for a match and 테니스 선수 for a player. 선수 usually suggests someone who competes in the sport, rather than every person who tries it at a weekend lesson. For a simple self-introduction as a hobby player, the activity sentence is enough.
Tennis Words to Learn Together
| Korean | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 라켓 | racket | Ask about borrowing or bringing equipment. |
| 공 | ball | The general word for a ball; 테니스 공 specifies the sport. |
| 테니스장 | tennis court; tennis facility | Look for the place where you can play. |
| 단식 | singles | A match with one player on each side. |
| 복식 | doubles | A match with two players on each side. |
The sports vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. Keep 단식 and 복식 with the tennis context when learning them: they describe match formats, while 테니스장 names the venue. A doubles game still uses the same sport name, 테니스.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb belongs in the usual phrase for playing tennis: 치다 or 놀다?
- How do you say you are learning tennis?
- Does 단식 mean singles or doubles?
Show answers
- 치다: 테니스를 치다.
- 테니스를 배우다.
- Singles. Doubles is 복식.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I say 'play tennis'?
Use 테니스를 치다. 테니스를 하다 also works.
What is the court called?
It is 테니스장.
What is table tennis?
It is 탁구.
What is 배드민턴?
It is badminton, another racket sport.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Sports words groups 테니스 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add it to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- See also the page for volleyball: volleyball.