過当競争

• Reading: かとうきょうそう
• Romaji: katou kyoso
• Kanji breakdown: 過 (ka) — excess, surpass; 当 (to) — appropriate, due; 競 (kyo) — compete; 争 (so) — contend, struggle
• Pronunciation: /ka.toː.kʲoː.soː/

Meaning

Excessive competition; cut-throat competition; a market condition in which too many players compete aggressively, often driving prices below sustainable levels.

Used to describe industries where oversupply of competitors leads to destructive price wars, margin erosion, and business failures. The term carries a negative connotation, implying that competition has gone beyond healthy rivalry into a harmful state. Common in economic journalism, policy discussions, and industry analyses.

Examples

1. 格安航空会社の相次ぐ参入で、国内航空市場では過当競争が激化している。 With low-cost carriers entering the market one after another, cut-throat competition in the domestic aviation sector has intensified.
2. 過当競争による値崩れが続き、中小企業の経営を直撃した。 Continued price collapse caused by excessive competition dealt a direct blow to the management of small and medium-sized enterprises.
3. 業界全体が過当競争に陥れば、品質の低下は避けられないという専門家の警告が出ている。 Experts have warned that if an entire industry falls into cut-throat competition, a decline in quality is inevitable.

Usage Guide

Context: economics, industry analysis, business journalism, policy

Tone: critical

Origin & History

Compound of 過当 (excessive, undue) + 競争 (competition). 過当 itself combines 過 (excess) and 当 (appropriate), meaning 'beyond what is appropriate'. Emerged as a modern economic term in post-war Japan.

Cultural Context

Era: Post-war–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Business/Academic