To Challenge Someone
To Take On Something Difficult, To Boldly Attempt
intransitive verb, transitive verb, godan verb
Because the hiragana ends with a う sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means challenge, and the verb form means to challenge someone or to take on something difficult.
挑む is a relatively formal word for boldly facing a challenge. It has a strong, spirited feel, like a climber saying "I'm taking on Mt. Everest!" You'll come across it in headlines, live sports commentary, anime battle scenes, or even in daily life when someone wants to sound determined and fired up about their big personal goal.
I don't (いど) just challenge anyone, but when I challenge someone, it's for real. My challenging reflexes come from my Id (いど), after all.
彼は王に戦いを挑んだ。
He challenged the king to battle.
来年は、JLPTのN1に挑むつもりだ。
Next year, I'm planning to take on the JLPT N1.
知ってるだろ？アイツは、誰かのためなら、勝てない相手にでも挑むヤツだぜ。
You know what he's like, right? If it's for someone else's sake, he'll go up against anyone — even if he's got no shot of winning.
私はこの日曜日、有名なベーコン鑑定家に挑みます。
I'm going to challenge the famous bacon connoisseur this Sunday.