にしのぎを削る

Compete Fiercely

Level 4Sounds Like nishinogiwokezuru

Used to describe intense, head-to-head competition between opponents of similar strength. It is commonly found in business, sports, and political reporting.

How It Works

しのぎを削る（しのぎをけずる） is a high-level idiomatic expression used for fierce rivalry. Unlike general words for 'compete,' this pattern carries specific nuances:

  • Evenly Matched: It is only used when the competitors have similar levels of skill or power. It is not used for one-sided matches.
  • Intensity: It suggests a 'dead heat' where neither side is willing to back down. The literal meaning refers to the ridges of swords (しのぎ) being shaved off during a fierce duel.
  • Formal Register: You will frequently see this in news articles, business reports, and sports commentary.

The domain or arena of the fierce competition is very commonly marked with the particle で (e.g., 開発で or 販売競争で). The particle に is also frequently used, especially for goal-oriented action nouns (like 獲得, acquisition). However, it is not used to mark physical prizes (e.g., 'the trophy'). To mark a physical prize, use phrases like をめぐって or に向けて. Additionally, this phrase is frequently used as a relative clause to modify nouns, such as in しのぎを削る戦い (a fiercely fought battle) using noun modification.

Examples (4)

  1. 次世代スマートフォンの開発に、大手三社がしのぎを削っている。

    The three major companies are competing fiercely in the development of next-generation smartphones.

    Word by Word: Next-generation smartphone development in, big three-companies (subject) sword-ridges are-shaving.

    This shows the pattern used in a business context. The particle に sets the formal domain of competition (development).

  2. 優勝候補の二校は、首位争いにしのぎを削った。

    The two schools favored to win competed fiercely in the battle for first place.

    Word by Word: Championship candidate two-schools (topic), first-place struggle in sword-ridges shaved.

    In sports, this emphasizes that the two teams were evenly matched. Note that the activity (the struggle for first place) is marked with に, rather than the physical prize itself.

  3. 多くの企業が、世界市場のシェア獲得にしのぎを削っている。

    Many companies are competing fiercely to acquire global market share.

    Word by Word: Many companies (subject), world market share acquisition in sword-ridges are-shaving.

    This demonstrates the use of the particle に to indicate a goal-oriented action (acquisition) as the domain of the struggle.

  4. 彼らは長年、売上競争にしのぎを削ってきた。

    They have competed fiercely in sales competitions for many years.

    Word by Word: They (topic) long-years, sales competition in sword-ridges shave-have-come.

    Using the てきた form shows a long-standing, ongoing history of intense rivalry in their sales efforts.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong kanji for the word meaning 'sword ridge'.

    凌ぎを削る
    鎬を削る

    While 凌ぎ（しのぎ） means 'enduring' or 'getting by,' the idiom refers to the ridge of a sword, which is written as 鎬. Many people write it in hiragana to avoid this mistake.

  • Using it for solo effort or one-sided situations.

    試験のために一人でしのぎを削った。
    ライバルと合格を目指してしのぎを削った。

    You cannot 'shave ridges' by yourself. The expression requires an opponent or a group of rivals competing against each other.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

にしのぎを削るLevel 4Compete Fiercely

Learn This First

The expression 'にしのぎを削る' is an idiomatic set phrase meaning 'to compete fiercely.' It literally describes two swordsmen clashing so hard that the ridges (しのぎ) of their blades are shaved off. To understand this pattern, learners need to be familiar with the object marker 'を', the target marker 'に', and the basic verb '削る'.

Words in This Pattern

しのぎを削る