競争
きょうそう · kyousou · JLPT N4 · noun
competition
🏁🏆 競争 = 競 vie + 争 fight: vying and fighting = competition
競 (kyou) means to vie or race, as in 競馬 horse racing; 争 (sou) means to fight or dispute, as in 戦争 war. Two words for struggling against a rival, stacked together, give competition. Sound hook: kyousou starts like Kyoto, so think of a Kyoto contest.
争 — hand 爫 (claw) over hand 又 pulling 亅
争 depicts two hands grabbing the same object from above and below, with a vertical stroke representing the contested item between them. The image of two parties tugging at one thing gave rise to its meanings of 'to contend,' 'to fight for,' or 'to dispute.' The modern simplified form streamlines the older 爭.