Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Get the Kotomora apps for iOS and Android.

Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides About Support Privacy

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

一強多弱 (ikkyoutajaku) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

一いっ強きょう多た弱じゃく

い

っ

きょ

う

た

じゃ

く

Meanings

1

one strong, many weak

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)›

A yojijukugo describing a situation where one entity is overwhelmingly dominant while the rest are weak, often used in politics, business, or sports.

この業ぎょう界かいは一いっ強きょう多た弱じゃくの状じょう態

たい

が

続つづ

い

て

いる

。

This industry remains in a state of one strong player and many weak ones.

一いっ強きょう多た弱じゃくの市し場じょうでは、競きょう争そうが生うまれにくい。

In a market with one dominant player and many weak ones, competition is unlikely to arise.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
強strong
多many, frequent, much
弱weak, frail
他other, another, the others

Related words

一いっ強きょう
一強 refers to the single dominant entity, while 一強多弱 describes the entire situation of one strong and many weak.
寡か占せん
寡占 (oligopoly) refers to a market dominated by a few players, whereas 一強多弱 emphasizes a single overwhelmingly dominant entity.

Written forms

一いっ強きょう多た弱じゃく
Standard kanji form; the most common spelling for this yojijukugo.
一いっ強きょう他た弱じゃく
Variant spelling using 他 (other) instead of 多 (many); less common but still encountered.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 一 (one), 強 (strong), 多 (many), and 弱 (weak). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely emerged in modern Japanese to describe imbalanced competitive landscapes.