対抗します（たいこうします、taikoushimasu）
- to oppose

The Japanese verb 対抗します generally means to compete against, oppose, or rival someone or something. It is often used when a person, team, or company stands up against a stronger opponent or tries to match their competitors. The dictionary form of this verb is 対抗する, and 対抗します is the polite, present-future form.

Here are specific examples of how this word is used in daily contexts. ⚫︎A社は新しいサービスでB社に対抗します。 Translation: Company A will compete against Company B with a new service. ⚫︎私たちはその強豪チームに対抗します。 Translation: We will rival that powerhouse team.

You can use 対抗します in business, sports, and general discussions when talking about competition or resistance against a rival. It is commonly used when formulating a strategy to counter a rival company or opponent. Because it is in the polite -masu form, it is suitable for standard conversations with acquaintances, colleagues, or in formal settings.

This word is typically written using kanji and hiragana as 対抗します. The kanji part 対抗 is pronounced たいこう, and the ending します is the polite verb suffix. In purely hiragana, it is written as たいこうします. There are no other standard ways to write this word or variations in the okurigana.

Common synonyms for 対抗します include 競争します, which means to compete, and 匹敵します, which means to match or rival. Another related verb is 争います, meaning to contest or dispute.

Antonyms for 対抗します include 協調します, meaning to cooperate, and 妥協します, meaning to compromise. You can also consider 降伏します, meaning to surrender, as an opposite concept of standing up in opposition.

我が社は低価格路線で大企業に対抗します。 ・Translation: Our company will compete against large enterprises with a low-price strategy. ・Explanation: This sentence shows a business strategy where a smaller company opposes a larger competitor using pricing.

来年の大会では去年の優勝者に対抗します。 ・Translation: In next year's tournament, I will rival last year's champion. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses personal ambition or a competitive goal in a sports or tournament context.

The word consists of two kanji characters: 対, which means opposite or facing, and 抗, which means to resist or oppose. Combined, 対抗 literally means to face and resist an opposing force. Adding the verb helper します turns this noun concept into an action.