大会

• Reading: たいかい
• Romaji: taikai
• Kanji breakdown: 大 (big) + 会 (meeting) → a large gathering, tournament
• Pronunciation: /ta.i.ka.i/

Meaning

Tournament or competition — a formal or informal contest, from local gaming events to major esports championships.

A versatile term used across all competitive contexts, from school sports meets to massive esports tournaments. In gaming culture, 大会 can refer to anything from an informal local bracket to a nationally televised championship. Online 大会 became widespread with the rise of fighting game communities and esports in the 2010s.

Examples

1. この大会、優勝したら賞金100万円出るらしいよ。 Apparently the prize for winning this tournament is a million yen.
2. 地元の格ゲー大会に初めて出てみたら楽しすぎた。 I entered a local fighting game tournament for the first time and had a blast.
3. 来月の大会に向けて毎日練習してる。 I've been practicing every day for next month's tournament.

Usage Guide

Context: esports, gaming events, sports, school competitions

Tone: neutral, competitive

Do Say

• 大会に向けてしっかり準備しよう (Let's prepare thoroughly for the tournament)
• 今年の大会は例年より参加者が多い (This year's tournament has more entrants than usual)

Don't Say

• 大会を「試合」と混同しない — 大会は複数の試合で構成されるイベント全体を指す (Don't confuse 大会 with 試合 — 大会 refers to the whole event, not a single match)

Common Mistakes

• Using 大会 to mean a single match — it refers to the tournament or event as a whole, which contains multiple matches

Origin & History

Classical Japanese compound meaning a large gathering or meeting. Adopted broadly for competitive events across sports, gaming, and esports.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional term, adopted widely in gaming and esports contexts

Generation: All ages

Social background: Broad — sports, gaming, school

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan in every competitive context, from local school events to national esports championships.