竞 (jìng) is a Chinese character meaning “to compete”. It is written from 立 (to stand; upright) and 兄 (elder brother), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to compete”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
立 + 兄
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS 候选逐笔核对 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：立=笔画1-5，兄=笔画6-10）
Memory aid
An elder brother (兄) stands up (立) on the starting line — whoever stands tallest and moves first wins. That is a competition.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 竞争jìng zhēngto compete; competition竞 = jìng
- 竞赛jìng sàicontest; competition竞 = jìng
Go deeper
All readings
to compete
to compete; to contend; to vie
互相争胜、比高低。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 竞争jìng zhēngto compete; competition竞 = jìng
- 竞赛jìng sàicontest; competition竞 = jìng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 竞 mean?
竞 (jìng) means to compete; to contend; to vie.
How do you pronounce 竞?
It is pronounced jìng.
What parts is 竞 made of?
立 (to stand; upright) and 兄 (elder brother), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS 候选逐笔核对 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：立=笔画1-5，兄=笔画6-10）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 竞 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 竞?
立. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 竞?
Common ones are 竞争 and 竞赛. The reading of 竞 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.