This is the 6912th most frequent Japanese word.
ボ
"ボ" is the katakana character for the sound "bo."
In this sentence, '棒 (ボう)' translates to 'stick' or 'rod,' referring to a physical object.
竹の棒を使って遊びました。
We played using a bamboo stick.
Here, '坊 (ボう)' is used to represent 'boy' or a colloquial term for a young child.
彼はさっぱりした坊やですね。
He is such a neat little boy.
In this context, 'ボール (ボうル)' refers to 'ball,' a borrowed word from English related to sports or games.