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What is the Kanji for 'Compete'? | 競

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for 'Compete', you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for 'Compete' is 競.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Compete

    Reading

    kunyomi

    se

    きそ

    kiso

    onyomiけい

    kei

    きょう

    kyou

    Parts

    Stand Older brother

    Example Word

    競技: competition. The Japanese verbal noun '競技 (きょうぎ)' refers to a 'competition' or 'contest', typically in the context of sports, games, or other structured activities where participants compete against each other. It is often used to describe organized events such as athletic competitions, tournaments, or matches. For example: The swimming competition was exciting「水泳の競技は興奮した」(すいえいのきょうぎはこうふんした). They participated in a chess competition「彼らはチェスの競技に参加した」(かれらはチェスのきょうぎにさんかした). The word can also be used more broadly to describe any kind of competitive activity, not limited to physical sports.

    Radical

    Stroke Count

    20

    JLPT

    N2

    Grade

    4

    Frequency

    1336

    Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji

If you visually break down this kanji, you can see it is made up of 2 parts:

    kanji

    Meaning

    Stand

    kanji

    Meaning

    Older brother

Words Using

This kanji is used in 2 words:

    word

    競争

    Meaning

    Competition

    word

    競技

    Meaning

    Competition

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 14 kanji contain the part 立 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Sound

    kanji

    Meaning

    Parent

    kanji

    Meaning

    Face

    kanji

    Meaning

    Hard, Spicy

    kanji

    Meaning

    Weep, Cry

    kanji

    Meaning

    Rank

    kanji

    Meaning

    Next, Following

    kanji

    Meaning

    Trade, Deal

    kanji

    Meaning

    End, Edge

    kanji

    Meaning

    Juvenile

    kanji

    Meaning

    Chapter, Badge

    kanji

    Meaning

    Dragon

    kanji

    Meaning

    Grain, Grains

    kanji

    Meaning

    Yank, Abduct

Kanji Related to Through the Part

These 4 kanji contain the part 兄 as well.

    kanji

    Meaning

    Party, Faction

    kanji

    Meaning

    Situation, Condition

    kanji

    Meaning

    Celebrate

    kanji

    Meaning

    Curse

Learn the Kanji

Let's make sure you fully understand this kanji.

What does 競 mean?

競 means 'Compete'.

Japanese school students learn this kanji in Fourth Grade, while non-native learners often study it for the JLPT N2 exam.

To help you master this kanji, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.