拳闘(けんとう)

けんとう
noun
boxing, pugilism
formalsports
1. boxing, pugilism, fistfighting
The sport of boxing, where two opponents fight using their fists. A somewhat literary or old-fashioned Japanese word for boxing, now largely replaced by the loanword ボクシング in everyday use.
拳闘(けんとう)の試合(しあい)を観(み)に行(い)く。
I'm going to watch a boxing match.
彼(かれ)は若(わか)い頃(ころ)拳闘(けんとう)の選手(せんしゅ)だった。
He was a boxer when he was young.
戦前(せんぜん)の日本(にほん)では、拳闘(けんとう)という言葉(ことば)がボクシングの正式(せいしき)な呼(よ)び名(な)だった。
In prewar Japan, the word kentou was the official term for boxing.

Literally "fist fighting" (拳(けん) = fist + 闘(とう) = fight). This is the traditional Japanese word for boxing, but it has largely been replaced by ボクシング in modern usage. It still appears in literary writing, historical contexts, and the names of some boxing organizations and gymnasiums.

Note: This is a homophone of several common words: 検討(けんとう) (consideration), 健闘(けんとう) (good fight), and 見当(けんとう) (estimate, guess).

Common collocations

Similar words

  • ボクシング: boxing — the standard modern loanword
  • 格闘技(かくとうぎ): combat sports, martial arts — broader term covering all fighting sports
  • 闘拳(とうけん): a less common alternative form with reversed character order

Related Words

Compare: ボクシング (boxing)
Compare: 格闘技(かくとうぎ) (combat sports, martial arts)
general
Added 2026.3.31 4:13 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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