How to Say "Survivor" in Japanese

生存者

sēzonsha[se̞ːzõ̞ɰ̃ɕa̠]

The English word 'survivor' can be translated into Japanese as 生存者 (sēzonsha) or 生き残り.

Meaning: one who survives (noun)

Ways to say it

“survivor” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
生存者	sēzonsha	[se̞ːzõ̞ɰ̃ɕa̠] (narrow)
生き残り	ikinokori	[ikʲino̞ko̞ɾʲi] (narrow)

生存者 is a formal and widely used term for a survivor.

The word 生存者 is composed of 生存 (survival/living) and 者 (person). The word 生き残り is the noun form of the verb 生き残る (to survive/to remain alive).

生存者 is a formal or technical term often used in news reports, official documents or medical contexts.

sēzonsha

In English, 'survivor' can sometimes imply someone who has overcome a struggle, but in Japanese, 生存者 focuses strictly on the factual state of being alive.
The word 生き残り is frequently used in Japanese pop culture, such as anime or video games, to describe a 'last man standing' or a 'sole survivor' trope.
The character 生 in both terms can be read in multiple ways, such as 'sei' in 生存者 and 'i' in 生き残り, depending on the grammar of the word.

事故の生存者は一人だけでした。
There was only one survivor of the accident.
This sentence is useful for describing the number of survivors in an accident using 生存者.
Tatoeba #11099266 by small_snow, translation #2041424 by AlanF_US
救助隊は何日も瓦礫の下にいた生存者の発見に成功した。
The rescue team succeeded in discovering a survivor who had been under the rubble for several days.
This sentence is useful for describing a rescue team finding a survivor using 生存者.
Tatoeba #797328 by marloncori, translation #9981784 by tsp_2
田中稔子氏は広島原爆の生存者であり、平和と核軍縮の擁護者として活動しています。
Toshiko Tanaka is a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing turned advocate for peace and nuclear disarmament.
This sentence is useful for describing a person who is a survivor of a specific event using 生存者.
Tatoeba #12645909 by urro, translation #12645893 by urro
「大地震の生存者たちは大変な経験をしました」
The earthquake survivors went through a tremendous experience
「彼はサバイバーみたいな経験をしたんだよ」
He went through an experience like in Survivor
「幸いにも地震で助かった人たちは多くいます」
Fortunately, there are many people who survived the earthquake
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing a survival documentary.

陽葵 Himari

この映画の生存者はとても強かったね。
Kono eiga no seizonsha wa totemo tsuyokatta ne.
The survivor in this movie was very strong, wasn't he?
蓮 Ren

そうだね。彼は本当に勇敢な生存者だよ。
Sou da ne. Kare wa hontou ni yuukan na seizonsha da yo.
That's true. He is a truly brave survivor.
陽葵 Himari

蓮さんは、あんな状況で生き残れると思う？
Ren-san wa, anna joukyou de ikinokoreru to omou?
Ren, do you think you could survive in that situation?
蓮 Ren

いや、僕には無理だと思うよ。
Iya, boku ni wa muri da to omou yo.
No, I don't think I could do it.

Sources

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