Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons

争: contend, dispute

Also: argue

JLPT N36 strokesGrade 4Your ink: 白 Not met

亅 carries the meaning · 𠂊 and ⺕ are drawn in

6 strokes

Two readings, and the words that use each

ソウsou · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 競争するきょうそうするcompete
  • 戦争せんそうwar
  • 紛争ふんそうdispute
  • 論争ろんそうcontroversy, dispute
  • 闘争とうそうstrife, conflict
  • 争点そうてんpoint at issue

あらそうarasou · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 争うあらそうdispute, argue, compete

Also read いかでか, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Pictogram (象形)

Two hands on a plowshare. The two hands are still visibile on top of the character (爪 and 彐), while the plowshare looks like a vertical hook in modern writing.

Source: Wiktionary, 爭 (rev. 91379269), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“A hand (E) + the hook (亅). Imagine two hands pulling and "hooking" at a single object in a fierce struggle for control.”
From the 亅 vertical stroke with a hook story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
𠂊

Also built on to wrap (𠂊)

All 12
⺕

Also built on ⺕

15 in all
亅

Also built on vertical stroke with a hook (亅)

All 6

争 gives its sound to

Sound parts: KanjiVG.

Also read ソウ

56 kanji share this on'yomiAll 56

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
争 contend · 𠂊 + ⺕ + 亅
vs伊 Italy · 亻 + 尹
争 has 𠂊 + ⺕ + 亅 where 伊 has 亻 + 尹.
In ChineseSimplified, as in Japanese · traditional 爭 · zhēng

Japan uses the same simplified form as mainland China, 争. Taiwan and Hong Kong write 爭.

Simplified
争 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
爭 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin zhēng most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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