Japanese symbol for “rival”
敵
てき
Romaji: teki
opponent; rival; adversary
In Japanese, rival is 敵, read てき (teki).
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
- n opponent; rival; adversary
- n menace; danger; threat; enemy
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rival”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 匹敵 | ひってき hitteki | to be a match for; to rival; to equal |
| ライバル | ライバル raibaru | rival; competitor; competition |
| 並ぶ | ならぶ narabu | to rival; to match; to equal |
| 仇 | あだ ada | foe; enemy; rival |
| 張り合う | はりあう hariau | to compete (with each other); to contend for; to vie for |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 素敵 | すてき suteki | lovely; wonderful; charming |
| 敵対 | てきたい tekitai | hostility; antagonism; opposition |
| 匹敵 | ひってき hitteki | to be a match for; to rival; to equal |
| 無敵 | むてき muteki | invincible; unrivaled; unrivalled |
| 宿敵 | しゅくてき shukuteki | old enemy; longtime enemy; arch-enemy |
| 強敵 | きょうてき kyouteki | formidable enemy; strong enemy; tough enemy |
See also: Chinese symbol for “rival”.
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.