赛 sài — to compete; competition; match
这场篮球比赛非常激烈。Zhè chǎng lán qiú bǐ sài fēi cháng jī liè.This basketball game is very intense.
Common words: 比赛 (bǐ sài)、决赛 (jué sài)、大赛 (dà sài)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to compete"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to compete", including 赛 (sài), 竞 (jìng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to compete" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 赛 (sài), 竞 (jìng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sài, jìng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 赛 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 赛 sàito compete; competition; matchUseful words: 比赛, 决赛
- 竞 jìngto compete; to contend; to struggleUseful words: 竞争, 竞赛
Common words for these 2 "to compete" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 赛 (sài) — so "to compete" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to compete".
竞 jìng — to compete; to contend; to struggle
运动场上，大家在激烈地竞争。Yùn dòng chǎng shàng, dà jiā zài jī liè de jìng zhēng.On the sports field, everyone competes fiercely.
Common words: 竞争 (jìng zhēng)、竞赛 (jìng sài)、竞选 (jìng xuǎn)
All 2 characters
Open 赛、竞 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.