Japanese word

競争

Pronunciation

Romajikyōsō

Meaning

  • nouncompetition

Example

競争に勝ちたいです。kyō sō ni ka chi ta i de su

I want to win the competition.

Illustration for 競争 (competition)

More examples

友だちと競争して、一番になりました。tomo da chi to kyō sō shi te ichi ban ni na ri ma shi ta

I competed with my friends and came in first.

スポーツでは、競争を楽しむことも大切です。su pō tsu de wa kyō sō o tano shi mu ko to mo tai setsu de su

In sports, it is also important to enjoy competition.

Core concept

Describes a situation in which two or more sides strive to be the winner or achieve the same goal first.

Common phrases

  • 激しい競争hage shi i kyō sō

    intense competition

  • 競争に勝つkyō sō ni ka tsu

    win the competition

  • 競争に負けるkyō sō ni ma ke ru

    lose the competition

  • 競争に参加するkyō sō ni san ka su ru

    take part in the competition

Similar words

勝負shōbu: A contest in which people or teams try to win against each other.
競り合いseriai: A close contest in which two or more sides try to gain an advantage or finish first.
競合kyōgō: Rivalry among businesses that offer similar products or services.

Definition in Japanese

二人以上の者が同じ目標を目指して互いに勝ち負けを争うこと。futa ri i jō no mono ga ona ji moku hyō o me za shi te taga i ni ka chi ma ke o araso u ko to

Word origin

The compound 競争 (kyōsō) joins 競 (kyō, "compete") with 争 (sō, "contend") to mean contending against others.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 競争 (kyōsō) can describe competition between companies as well as people, so it is not limited to sports.

Other meanings

  • contestnoun
  • racenoun
  • rivalrynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 競争するkyōsōsurucompeteverb
  • 競争力kyōsōryokucompetitivenessnoun
  • 競争心kyōsōshincompetitive spiritnoun

Word lists with this word