Back to dictionary
JLPT N36画 · 6 strokesradical 戈grade 4freq #2399

war, battle, fight

On'yomi (音読み)

  • セン

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • いくさ
  • たたか.う

Mnemonic

In the heat of battle, a fierce warrior raises his spear (戈) and fights bravely (丶) against his enemies.

About this kanji

The kanji 「戦」 primarily means war, battle, or fight. It can be used as a noun, such as in the compound 戦争 (せんそう), which means war. Another example is the verb 戦う (たたかう), meaning to fight. You can also see it in the noun 戦い (たたかい), which refers to a battle. This kanji conveys a sense of conflict and struggle and is often seen in contexts related to combat or rivalry. A note to remember is that while it can be serious, it can also be used in a more metaphorical sense, like competition in sports.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 私たちは戦いに行く。

    We are going to battle.

Meanings across languages

English
war, battle, fight
Tiếng Việt
chiến tranh, trận chiến, đánh nhau
日本語
戦争, 戦い, 戦う
한국어
전쟁, 전투, 싸움
中文
战争, 战斗, 斗争
id
perang, pertarungan, pertempuran
th
สงคราม, การต่อสู้, การต่อสู้
es
guerra, batalla, lucha
fr
guerre, bataille, combat
de
Krieg, Schlacht, Kampf
pt
guerra, batalha, luta

Common compounds

  • 戦争せんそうwar
  • 戦うたたかうto fight, to battle
  • 戦いたたかいbattle, fighting
  • 勝戦しょうせんvictorious battle

Want to actually learn this kanji?

The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.