Usage patterns 〈 相あい 手て 〉 と 互ご 角かく に 渡わた り 合あ う to hold one's own against someone, competing on equal terms
He held his own on equal terms against the world champion.
〈 相あい 手て 〉 と 互ご 角かく に 戦たたか う to fight someone on an even footing
The rookie player fought the veteran on an even footing.
実じつ 力りょく が 互ご 角かく だ to have evenly matched abilities
The two of them had evenly matched abilities.
互ご 角かく の 勝しょう 負ぶ an evenly matched contest
The match remained an evenly matched contest right to the end.
Kanji 互 mutually, reciprocally, together Related words· 6 五分 often implies an exact 50-50 split or tie, while 互角 simply means the two sides are closely matched without claiming perfect equality.
同等 emphasizes equal rank, value, or treatment in general, while 互角 focuses specifically on equal strength or ability in a contest.
対等 describes an equal standing or relationship, such as between partners or negotiators, while 互角 describes evenly matched strength in a competition.
拮抗 emphasizes an ongoing tension or balance of power that could tip either way, while 互角 simply states that two sides are evenly matched at a given moment.
Show 2 more Show fewer 伯仲 is a somewhat formal word often used in written or news contexts to describe closely matched skill, while 互角 is the everyday term for being evenly matched.
互角 describes two sides being closely matched in ability during a contest, while あいこ describes the actual result being a tie.
Written forms 互ご 角かく Usage 100%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news word.
牛ご 角かく
Ateji spelling; rarely used and may cause confusion with the reading ぎゅうかく .
互ご 格かく
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; included for search coverage only.
Etymology The kanji 互 (mutual) and 角 (horn/angle) combine to suggest two horns locking evenly, hence 'equal in strength'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning.
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