闘

音読おんよみ: トウ

訓読くんよみ: たたかう

画数かくすう: 18

部首ぶしゅ: 門（もんがまえ）

Meaning

Fight / Battle

  • 闘たたかう — to fight; to battle
  • 闘争とうそう — struggle; conflict
  • 格闘かくとう — hand-to-hand combat; martial arts
  • 闘志とうし — fighting spirit; determination
  • 闘病とうびょう — struggling with illness
  • 戦闘せんとう — battle; combat

The radical 門（もんがまえ）means “gate” — a frame or entrance. Inside the gate is the element 斗, which gives the sound and suggests struggle or measurement. Together, 闘 depicts people confronting each other — fighting or competing face to face.

争

争あらそう means “to argue or compete.” 闘 takes that idea further — it’s not just a dispute, but a true fight or struggle. You can see this in the word 闘争とうそう, which literally combines both: 争 for “conflict,” and 闘 for “battle.” Together, they show confrontation pushed to its fullest — a fight with determination.

志
Creates

闘志とうし — fighting spirit or determination.

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