競争心(きょうそうしん)

きょうそうしん
noun
competitive spirit; competitiveness
emotionpersonality
1. competitive spirit; competitiveness; desire to compete and win
The inner drive to compete with others and strive to outperform them. Can be viewed positively as healthy ambition or negatively as excessive rivalry.
彼(かれ)は競争心(きょうそうしん)が強(つよ)い。
He has a strong competitive spirit.
子(こ)どもの競争心(きょうそうしん)をうまく育(そだ)てることが大切(たいせつ)だ。
It's important to nurture children's competitive spirit well.
競争心(きょうそうしん)が強(つよ)すぎると、チームワークに悪(わる)い影響(えいきょう)を与(あた)えることもある。
If the competitive spirit is too strong, it can also have a bad effect on teamwork.

Describes the psychological drive to compete and win. Formed from 競争(きょうそう) (competition) + 心(しん) (heart/spirit). The word is neutral in itself but takes on positive or negative connotations depending on context — healthy motivation in sports, but potentially disruptive in cooperative settings.

Common collocations

  • 競争心(きょうそうしん)が強(つよ)い: to be highly competitive
  • 競争心(きょうそうしん)を燃(も)やす: to kindle one's competitive spirit
  • 競争心(きょうそうしん)をあおる: to stir up competitiveness
  • 競争心(きょうそうしん)がない: to lack competitive drive

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 闘争心(とうそうしん) (fighting spirit)
Compare: 向上心(こうじょうしん) (desire for self-improvement)
Compare: 負(ま)けず嫌(ぎら)い (hating to lose)
Compare: 勝(か)ち気(き) (competitive spirit)
Compare: 勝負心(しょうぶしん) (fighting spirit)
Compare: 協調心(きょうちょうしん) (spirit of cooperation)
Compare: 競争力(きょうそうりょく) (competitiveness)
general
Added 2026.5.7 1:05 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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