contend, dispute, argue
争 centers on two sides pulling against each other: contending, disputing, or arguing over something.
争 is the simplified form of 爭, which originally depicted two hands (爪) pulling on a rope or object, representing a struggle or contention.
The top ⺈ looks like a claw pulling one way, and the lower part resembles a hand pulling the other way. Imagine two people tugging on the same thing, arguing over who gets it.
For ソウ, picture two people arguing so loudly that their voices sound like a saw cutting wood: saw -> ソウ, and the back-and-forth motion mirrors the dispute.
war
competition; contest; rivalry; race
fight; dispute; feud; conflict; struggle; strife; discord; argument; quarrel; controversy
to compete; to contest; to contend
dispute; conflict; trouble; unrest; strife
dispute; controversy; debate; argument; taking issue
fight; battle; combat; conflict
rivalry; feud; conflict; dispute; struggle; strife; contention; resistance
struggle (for); scramble; contest
Pacific War (1941-1945)
point at issue
American Civil War (1861-1865)
dispute; contention; conflict; controversy
political strife
dispute; quarrel; strike
a quarrel; argument
Boshin War (Japanese civil war between Imperial and shogunate forces; 1868-1869)
to quarrel; to dispute
competitive spirit
conflict; strife