King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “match”

Romaji: shiai
match; game; bout; contest

In Japanese, match is , read (shiai).

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

  1. n, vi, vs match; game; bout; contest

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

test, try, attempt
on: シ
kun: こころ.みる、ため.す
13 strokes · JLPT 3
fit, suit, join
on: ゴウ、ガッ、カッ
kun: あ.う、-あ.う、あ.い、あい-
6 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “match”

WordReadingMeaning
あわせる awaseruto match (rhythm, speed, etc.)
きょうぎ kyougigame; match; contest
いっち itchiagreement; accord; correspondence
たいせん taisenfighting (against); taking on (an opponent); facing
にあう niauto suit; to match; to become

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しけん shikenexamination; exam; test
ためし tameshitrial; test; try
こころみ kokoromiattempt; trial; experiment
にゅうし nyuushientrance examination
ためす tamesuto try (out); to have a try (at); to test
ばあい baaicase; occasion; situation
そうごう sougousynthesis; combination; integration
あう auto come together; to merge; to unite

See also: Chinese symbol for “match”.

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.

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