相克・相剋|そうこくsoukoku[0]heiban (flat)
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
Which spelling to use
相克相克 is the more common written form. Beginners should use 相克 by default in their own writing.
相剋相剋 is less common than 相克 and is a variant spelling; beginners should choose 相克 in their own writing.
Definitions
- noun, suru verb, intransitive verbrivalry (between two irreconcilable forces); conflict; strife; struggle
- nounmutual overcoming cycle (of the five elements in Chinese philosophy; wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, fire overcomes metal, metal overcomes wood); excessive destructive cycle
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 相克する（そうこくする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 相克します（そうこくします） |
| Negative (nai) | 相克しない（そうこくしない） |
| polite (masen) | 相克しません（そうこくしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 相克せず・相克せぬ（そうこくせず・そうこくせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 相克した（そうこくした） |
| polite (mashita) | 相克しました（そうこくしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 相克しなかった（そうこくしなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 相克しませんでした（そうこくしませんでした） |
| Te form | 相克して（そうこくして） |
| Potential | 相克できる（そうこくできる） |
| Passive | 相克される（そうこくされる） |
| Causative | 相克させる（そうこくさせる） |
| Causative passive | 相克させられる（そうこくさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 相克すれば（そうこくすれば） |
| tara | 相克したら（そうこくしたら） |
| Volitional | 相克しよう（そうこくしよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 相克しましょう（そうこくしましょう） |
| Imperative | 相克しろ（そうこくしろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym葛藤かっとうWrittenWritten. Entanglements: inner conflict and struggle, or tangled interpersonal disputes. 相克 pits two forces against each other; 葛藤 often stays inside one's own mind.
- Synonym争いあらそいNeutralNeutral. The most general word for fighting, quarrelling or competing; it does not, like 相克, picture two forces each overcoming the other.
- Related摩擦まさつNeutralNeutral. Discord from clashing opinions or interests, big or small, as in 「貿易摩擦」; also physical friction. Unlike 相克, it does not stress two forces checking each other.
- Related確執かくしつWrittenWritten. Antagonism in which each side insists on its own position and refuses to yield an inch; 相克 is about forces in conflict, this about a standoff between people.
- Related不仲ふなかNeutralNeutral. Simply being on bad terms with someone, as in 「不仲説」; more colloquial than 相克 and limited to personal relationships, not clashing forces.
- Related不和ふわNeutralNeutral. Discord within a family or group, as in 「家庭不和」; it points to strained relations inside a circle, not the clash of two opposing forces.
- Related衝突しょうとつNeutralNeutral. A head-on clash of opinions or interests, and also a physical collision; more direct and immediate than the abstract, force-against-force 相克.
- Related対抗たいこうNeutralNeutral. Competing against a rival to win out, as in 「対抗意識」; it need not imply hostility, whereas 相克 suggests irreconcilable forces.
- Related抗争こうそうWrittenWritten. Struggle between rival groups or powers, as in 「暴力団の抗争」; 相克 can be abstract forces or minds, 抗争 is an actual contest between camps.
- Related敵対てきたいWrittenWritten. Treating the other side as an enemy and turning against it; 相克 describes the clash itself, 敵対 the hostile stance behind it.
- Related不協和音ふきょうわおんWrittenWritten. A musical metaphor for a relationship that will not harmonize; figurative and stylistic, unlike the direct clash of 相克.
- Related波風なみかぜCasualColloquial. Trouble that stirs up an otherwise calm relationship, as in waves on still water; everyday word, far lighter than the weighty 相克.
- Related軋轢あつれきWrittenWritten. Friction or discord that sours relations, as in 「軋轢を生む」; it stresses the wearing-down of a relationship rather than two forces overcoming each other.
- Antonym調和ちょうわWrittenWritten. Antonym: balance and accord among different elements, the very opposite of forces checking each other in 相克.
- Antonym融和ゆうわWrittenWritten. Antonym: parties melting together into easy, friendly relations; the reverse of the opposition 相克 describes.
「相克」 is written style for irreconcilable forces or minds clashing (「理性と感情の相克」), and for the five-elements cycle. People: 「不仲」 bad terms, 「不和」 family or group strife, 「確執」/「軋轢」 written discord, 「波風」 colloquial ripples. Clashes: 「衝突」 head-on, 「摩擦」 interest friction, 「抗争」 group feuds, 「対抗」 rivalry, 「敵対」 enmity, 「争い」 general; 「葛藤」 inner struggle, 「不協和音」 discord. Opposites: 「調和」, 「融和」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
