競い合う・競いあう|きそいあうkisoiau[4]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
競い合う競い合う is the more common spelling of this word and the recommended choice for beginners. It uses a mixture of kanji and kana.
競いあう競いあう is a less common spelling than 競い合う. It also mixes kanji and kana, but beginners should generally choose 競い合う instead.
Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbto compete with; to vie for
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 競い合う（きそいあう） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 競い合います（きそいあいます） |
| Negative (nai) | 競い合わない（きそいあわない） |
| polite (masen) | 競い合いません（きそいあいません） |
| classical zu / nu | 競い合わず・競い合わぬ（きそいあわず・きそいあわぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 競い合った（きそいあった） |
| polite (mashita) | 競い合いました（きそいあいました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 競い合わなかった（きそいあわなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 競い合いませんでした（きそいあいませんでした） |
| Te form | 競い合って（きそいあって） |
| Potential | 競い合える（きそいあえる） |
| Passive | 競い合われる（きそいあわれる） |
| Causative | 競い合わせる（きそいあわせる） |
| Causative passive | 競い合わせられる・競い合わされる（きそいあわせられる・きそいあわされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 競い合えば（きそいあえば） |
| tara | 競い合ったら（きそいあったら） |
| Volitional | 競い合おう（きそいあおう） |
| polite (mashou) | 競い合いましょう（きそいあいましょう） |
| Imperative | 競い合え（きそいあえ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym競り合うせりあうNeutralTo fight it out in a close, neck-and-neck contest; it stresses rivals being evenly matched, while 「競い合う」 stresses neither side willing to lose.
- Synonym競うきそうNeutralTo compete or vie, as in 「速さを競う」; 「競い合う」 makes the two-way rivalry more explicit.
- Synonym競るせるNeutralTo compete, and also to bid at an auction; it lacks 「競い合う」's nuance of each side refusing to be outdone.
- Synonym争うあらそうWrittenRead 「あらがう」: to resist or defy, as in 「運命に抗う」; written style, about opposing an outside force rather than vying with a rival.
- Synonym張り合うはりあうNeutralVery close to 「競い合う」, but more colloquial and often about stubborn pride, as in 「意地を張り合う」.
- Related競争きょうそうNeutralThe noun for competition, as in 「競争社会」; the most widely used word of this set.
- Related競合きょうごうNeutralA noun for contention or conflict, mainly in business and legal contexts; unlike 「競い合う」 it does not stress rivals refusing to yield.
- Related挑むいどむNeutralTo challenge a difficulty or an opponent; it stresses taking the initiative in starting the contest.
- Antonym助け合うたすけあうNeutralAntonym: to help one another, the opposite of mutually competing.
- Antonym協力するNeutralAntonym: to cooperate or work together, the opposite of competing.
Use 「競い合う」 for mutual competition where neither side will give in, as in 「技を競い合う」. For evenly matched contests pick 「競り合う」, for stubborn or petty rivalry 「張り合う」. As a noun use 「競争」; the opposite of competing is 「助け合う」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
See also
