Explore 勝 in words for winning, victory and competition. Learn each reading with the whole word.

The idea

勝 has 12 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 勝つ is かつ, while 勝利, 優勝 and 決勝 use しょう. 勝つ takes に for an opponent or contest.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
勝つかつto win
勝利しょうりvictory
優勝ゆうしょうchampionship victory
決勝けっしょうfinal

Examples

  • 私わたしたちのチームは試合しあいに勝かちました。Our team won the match.
  • チェスで兄あにに勝かちたいです。I want to beat my older brother at chess.
  • 選手せんしゅたちは勝利しょうりを祝いわいました。The players celebrated the victory.
  • あの学校がっこうは去年きょねん優勝ゆうしょうしました。That school won the championship last year.
  • 決勝けっしょうは明日あした行おこなわれます。The final will take place tomorrow.
  • まだ誰だれが勝かつか負まけるかわかりません。We still do not know who will win or lose.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

勝つ means to win a contest; 優勝する means to win the championship, not just one match. 決勝 is the final itself, not the victory.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 勝つ in hiragana.

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    かつ

    勝つ is かつ: the verb means to win. Its final つ is part of the reading.

  2. Write the reading of 優勝 in hiragana.

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    ゆうしょう

    優勝 is ゆうしょう: it refers to winning a championship. Learn the long vowels in the whole word.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 勝＿（しょうり）［利／力］.

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    利

    利 completes 勝利（しょうり）, meaning victory; 力 is a different character.

Use it today

Write 勝 using the diagram, then cover the table and read 勝つ and 優勝. Make a sentence about a match.