Translation guide
The desire to compete and win, often expressed through personality traits, attitudes, or situational phrases in Japanese.
Describing someone who has a strong desire to win or be better than others.
Describes a person who hates losing and is highly competitive by nature. Often used as a personality adjective.
She has a competitive spirit.
Because I have a competitive personality, I seriously try to win any game.
Literally 'competitive spirit is strong.' A more direct description of someone's competitive drive.
He has a strong competitive spirit.
Fighting spirit or combative instinct. More intense and often used in sports or business contexts.
He approaches the match with his competitive spirit bared.
Expressing that you are currently feeling competitive or fired up to win.
Literally 'I don't want to lose.' A natural way to express competitive spirit in a specific situation.
I absolutely don't want to lose! (showing competitive spirit)
Simply 'I want to win.' Direct and clear, but less nuanced than 負けたくない.
I really want to win no matter what.
Fighting spirit wells up. Used when competitive feelings arise naturally.
Telling someone to be more competitive or to not give up.
負けず嫌い is a personality trait (hates losing), while 競争心が強い is a more analytical description (strong competitive drive). 負けず嫌い is more colloquial and commonly used in daily conversation.
The direct translation '競争心' is understandable but sounds stiff. Use 負けず嫌い or 負けたくない for natural expression.
When I see my rival, my competitive spirit wells up.
Burn your fighting spirit! You can do it!