sutoraiku

Sutoraiku (ストライク) is the Japanese transliteration of the English word "strike." In Japanese, it is used as a loanword in various contexts to refer to the act or result of striking, as well as to describe specific, sport-related events. The term can function as a noun or a verb in loanword usage, depending on the sentence.

In sports, sutoraiku is most commonly linked to the concept of a strike in baseball and bowling. In baseball, a strike is a pitch that passes through the strike zone and is not swung at or is struck at unsuccessfully; three strikes result in an out. In bowling, a strike means knocking down all pins with the first ball of a frame. Both senses are typically written and pronounced as "sutoraiku" in Japanese media and gameplay text.

Outside of sports, sutoraiku appears in phrases that describe the act of striking or hitting, though many actions are described with native Japanese terms. For example, to strike a match or to strike an object is usually phrased with standard Japanese verbs, while the loanword form may appear in marketing, games, or titles for stylistic reasons.

There is a closely related, distinct term in Japanese: sutoraiki (ストライキ), meaning a labor strike. This spelling and usage refer specifically to organized work stoppages by workers and unions and are not interchangeable with sutoraiku, which centers on the action or outcome of striking in a broader sense.

Etymology and usage notes: Sutoraiku entered Japanese through Western influence and is rendered in katakana to reflect the English pronunciation. It functions primarily as a loanword in contemporary Japanese, with usage spanning sports terminology, media, and everyday language in contexts involving the action of striking.