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Kanji for Victory
The kanji most commonly used for "Victory" are 勝、捷.
勝
Kanji that mean Victory
勝 (shō / katsu) is victory — the strength radical 力 under a boat’s load: prevailing under weight. 勝つ is to win; 勝利 (shōri) is victory the noun; 優勝 is taking the championship; 必勝 — “certain victory” — is the word on headbands before entrance exams and finals alike. Sports Japanese counts 三勝二敗: three wins, two losses.
The character has a gentler classical side: 景勝 is a place of surpassing scenic beauty — victory over other views — and 名勝 a celebrated landscape. To 勝る (masaru) is to surpass. Winning, in this character, is excelling as much as defeating.
捷 (shō) is the quick victory — 大捷, a great triumph; the character also means “nimble”, which is how it wins. Around them: 覇 (supremacy — the conqueror’s character), 凱 (triumphal return, as in 凱旋), and the opponent’s side of the ledger, 敗 (defeat).
Words using Victory kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
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優勝
ゆうしょう
overall victory; championship; winning the title
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決勝
けっしょう
decision of a contest; finals
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勝る
まさる
to excel; to surpass; to exceed
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勝負
しょうぶ
victory or defeat; match; contest
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勝ち
かち
win; victory
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準決勝
じゅんけっしょう
semifinal
Before you use Victory kanji
勝 is direct, strong and safe: victory, prevailing, surpassing. 必勝 ("certain victory") is the fighting-spirit phrase Japanese actually writes on banners. 覇 raises the stakes to domination — wear it knowingly. 凱 is the classy pick: the triumph that comes home.