Sections
勝つKatsu: what it means in anime
かつ · katsu
to win; to gain victory
Katsu means "to win" or "to beat". 勝った！ is "I won!", and the person or team you beat takes the particle に: 相手に勝つ is "to beat the opponent".
Updated November 2, 2026
Where you hear it
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勝ってコートに立つのは俺だ
Haikyu!!Episode 2 · 19 lines in episodes 1–3 -
そのうえ勝つ確率が ３分の１もある
No Game No LifeEpisode 2 · 15 lines in episodes 1–3
From the Japanese subtitles · how we count
Usage and nuance
Sports anime run on it. Haikyu's players say 勝ってコートに立つのは俺だ, "I'm the one who wins and stands on the court". In No Game No Life, Sora and Shiro's whole identity is that they never lose a game.
Students eat katsudon (pork cutlet bowl) before exams, because カツ sounds like 勝つ. It is a real Japanese good-luck habit, and anime about exams and tournaments show it often.
勝負 (shoubu) is "a match" or "a showdown", as in 勝負だ！, "let's settle this!". The opposite of 勝つ is 負ける (makeru), "to lose".
Hear 勝つ in Haikyu!!19 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account