競 — “compete” in Japanese

Grade 4きょう, けい, きそ

Radical ⽴ · radical 117 The building block this kanji is filed under

“compete” in Japanese is 競, read kyou, kei, kiso (きょう, けい, きそ). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 競争 (competition).

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What does 競 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	競
Meaning	compete
Readings	きょう, けい, きそ
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	競争 (competition)

How to read 競

競 is read kyou (きょう) or kei (けい) or kiso (きそ) depending on the word.

Words with 競

競走きょうそう
競技場きょうぎじょう
国際競技場こくさいきょうぎじょう
競争
競艇

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Kanji read the same way as 競

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28