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Kanji for Team

The kanji most commonly used for "Team" are 隊、組.

Kanji that mean Team

  • team, troop, squad

    Onyomi: tai 12 strokes Jōyō

  • group, team, to assemble

    Onyomi: so Kunyomi: gumi, ku.mu, kumi 11 strokes Jōyō

Everyday modern Japanese borrows the English word — チーム — for a sports side or a project team, so the choice between these characters matters mostly in compounds and names.

隊 is an organized unit with a mission and a commander, military in origin: 部隊 (a unit), 軍隊 (armed forces), 消防隊 (a fire brigade), 隊長 (the one in charge). It implies rank, discipline and being assembled from above.

組 is a group formed by joining people together. The verb 組む means to team up, to pair off, to link arms; 組合 is a union, 番組 is a broadcast program, and Japanese schools split children into 赤組 and 白組, the red and white teams, for sports day. Where 隊 is issued as an order, 組 is put together — it is the warmer and more everyday character, and the better fit for a team of equals.

Before you use Team kanji

組 is the friendlier character for a team of equals, but be aware that yakuza organizations are named with it (X組, 組長 for the boss), so it can read as 'crew' in the criminal sense. 隊 reads as a squad or brigade under a commander.

Other meanings to explore

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