Japanese symbol for “struggle”
争い
あらそい
Romaji: arasoi
fight; dispute; feud; conflict
In Japanese, struggle is 争い, read あらそい (arasoi).
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 fight; dispute; feud; conflict; struggle; strife
- n competition; contest; rivalry
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “struggle”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 争奪 | そうだつ soudatsu | struggle (for); scramble; contest |
| 暴れる | あばれる abareru | to act violently; to rage; to struggle |
| 戦う | たたかう tatakau | to struggle (against adversities, etc.); to fight; to contend |
| 抗争 | こうそう kousou | rivalry; feud; conflict |
| 苦戦 | くせん kusen | hard fight; close game; struggle |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戦争 | せんそう sensou | war |
| 競争 | きょうそう kyousou | competition; contest; rivalry |
| 紛争 | ふんそう funsou | dispute; conflict; trouble |
| 論争 | ろんそう ronsou | dispute; controversy; debate |
| 闘争 | とうそう tousou | fight; battle; combat |
See also: Chinese symbol for “struggle”.
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.