Japanese symbol for “rivalry”
競争
きょうそう
Romaji: kyousou
competition; contest; rivalry; race
In Japanese, rivalry is 競争, read きょうそう (kyousou).
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, vi, vs competition; contest; rivalry; race
- n, vi, vs competition (between organisms or species) (biol)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “rivalry”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 対抗 | たいこう taikou | opposition; rivalry; competition |
| 抗争 | こうそう kousou | rivalry; feud; conflict |
| 拮抗 | きっこう kikkou | rivalry (between two equally strong sides); struggle for supremacy; competing (with) |
| 競合 | きょうごう kyougou | contention; competition; rivalry |
| 争い | あらそい arasoi | competition; contest; rivalry |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 競技 | きょうぎ kyougi | game; match; contest |
| 競馬 | けいば keiba | horse racing |
| 競走 | きょうそう kyousou | race; run; dash |
| 競合 | きょうごう kyougou | contention; competition; rivalry |
| 競う | きそう kisou | to compete; to contend; to vie |
| 戦争 | せんそう sensou | war |
| 争い | あらそい arasoi | fight; dispute; feud |
| 紛争 | ふんそう funsou | dispute; conflict; trouble |
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.