Japanese word

競う

Pronunciation

Romajikisou

Meaning

  • verbcompete

Example

彼らは大会で競います。kare ra wa tai kai de kiso i ma su

They compete in the tournament.

Illustration for 競う (compete)

More examples

姉と弟はゲームで得点を競いました。ane to otōto wa gē mu de toku ten o kiso i ma shi ta

The brother and sister competed for points in a game.

Core concept

Presents a shared goal or standard as something that different sides try to reach more successfully than one another.

Common phrases

  • 優勝を競うyū shō o kiso u

    compete for the championship

  • 首位を競うshu i o kiso u

    vie for the lead

  • 力を競うchikara o kiso u

    test one's strength against another

Similar words

競争するkyōsōsuru: People or groups compete in an organized contest or competition.
張り合うhariau: People try to match or surpass a rival in an ongoing rivalry.
競り合うseriau: Two sides compete closely, with the lead changing between them.
争うarasou: People or groups try to win a prize, position, or other goal that others also seek.

Definition in Japanese

複数の者が互いに負けまいとして、成績や能力の優劣を比べ合う。fuku sū no mono ga taga i ni ma ke ma i to shi te sei seki ya nō ryoku no yū retsu o kura be a u

Word origin

The native Japanese verb 競う (kisō, "to compete") was historically written as 競ふ (kisō, "to compete") before the modern kana spelling became standard.

Usage tips

  • 競う (kisō) can describe rivalry between people or groups, but Japanese also uses it for trying to surpass a record or standard, a meaning often expressed in English with beat rather than compete.

Other meanings

  • vieverb
  • contendverb

Opposites

  • 協力するkyōryokusurucooperateverb

Related words

  • 競いkioirivalrynoun

Word lists with this word