Japanese symbol for “competitive”
負けず嫌い
まけずぎらい
Romaji: makezugirai
hating to lose; unyielding; unbending; competitive
In Japanese, competitive is 負けず嫌い, read まけずぎらい (makezugirai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-na, n hating to lose; unyielding; unbending; competitive; sore loser; determined
Written forms: 負けず嫌い、負けずぎらい. Readings: まけずぎらい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “competitive”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 負け嫌い | まけぎらい makegirai | hating to lose; always wanting to win; unyielding |
| コンペティティブ | コンペティティブ konpetitibu | competitive |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 負け | まけ make | defeat; loss; losing (a game) |
| 負担 | ふたん futan | burden; load; responsibility |
| 勝負 | しょうぶ shoubu | victory or defeat |
| 負傷 | ふしょう fushou | injury; wound |
| 負債 | ふさい fusai | debt; liabilities |
| 負う | おう ou | to carry on one's back; to bear; to shoulder |
| 嫌い | きらい kirai | disliking; hating; detesting |
| 機嫌 | きげん kigen | humour; humor; temper |
See also: Chinese symbol for “competitive”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.