競争

• 読み: きょうそう
• ローマ字: kyousou
• 漢字の分解: 競 (kyou/kiso) — compete, vie; 争 (sou/araso) — contend, fight
• 発音: /kjoː.soː/

意味

Competition; contest; rivalry. The act of competing against others.

A noun that functions as a suru-verb (競争する = to compete). Used in both physical competitions (races, sports) and abstract ones (business rivalry, academic competition). Related words include 競争相手 (kyousou aite, competitor/rival) and 競争力 (kyousouryoku, competitiveness). Can have both positive and negative connotations.

例文

1. クラスメートと成績を競争しています。
2. 企業間の競争が激しくなっている。
3. 子供のころ、兄と走る競争をよくした。

使い方ガイド

場面: sports, business, school

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Compound of 競 (kyou, to compete/vie) and 争 (sou, to contend/fight). Both kanji contain the idea of struggle — together they emphasise active rivalry and contest.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal