戦争
sensō[sẽ̞ɰ̃so̞ː]
The English word "war" is translated into Japanese as 戦争 (sensō). Wiktionary also lists 戦 (ikusa).
Meaning: conflict involving organized use of arms (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 戦争 | sensō | [sẽ̞ɰ̃so̞ː] (narrow) |
| 戦 | ikusa | [ikɯ̟̊sa̠] (narrow) [sẽ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
The standard term for a conflict involving the organized use of arms is 戦争. To express the action of waging or engaging in war, you use the verb phrase 戦争をする or the more formal 戦争を遂行する.
Which one should you use?
戦争 is the standard, modern word used for large-scale or state-level conflicts. In contrast, 戦 refers to older, traditional or poetic forms of battle and is often found in historical or literary contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The term for "post-war" (sengo) is a compound word created by combining the character for battle (戦) with the character for after (後).
How do you pronounce it?
sensō
Did you know?
- The character for war 戦 is also used in the word 戦車 (sensha), which means 'tank'. It literally translates to 'war chariot'.
- The character used in 戦 originally referred to the exchange of arrows in combat. It evolved from the concept of archery to represent the broader idea of a battle.
- While 戦争 describes the state of war, the single kanji 戦 is often used in martial arts or sports to denote a specific 'match' or 'bout'.
Examples in context
- 戦争が怖い。I'm afraid of war.This sentence shows the use of 戦争 to express fear of war.Tatoeba #11924202 by small_snow, translation #11889019 by ddnktr
- 戦争はよくない。War isn't good.This sentence uses 戦争 to make a moral statement about war.Tatoeba #6832802 by tsukimori, translation #6833815 by CK
- 戦後生まれです。I was born after the war.This sentence demonstrates how 戦 is used in the compound word for 'post-war'.Tatoeba #11871067 by small_snow, translation #10791774 by ddnktr
- 戦争を防ぐために国際連合が設立されました。The United Nations was established to prevent war.
- 私たちの国は戦争によって領土を拡張することはありません。Our country does not engage in war to expand its territories.
- 彼は激戦の末、勝ち残りました。He emerged victorious after a fierce battle.
- その島は激戦地として知られています。That island is renowned as a battlefield of intense fighting.
- 192 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are discussing a history book.
- 陽太 Yotaこの本は戦争について書いてあります。Kono hon wa sensou ni tsuite kaite arimasu.This book is written about war.
- 結衣 Yui戦争は本当に悲しい出来事ですね。Sensou wa hontou ni kanashii dekigoto desu ne.War is truly a sad event, isn't it?
- 陽太 Yotaそうですね。平和が一番大切です。Sou desu ne. Heiwa ga ichiban taisetsu desu.I agree. Peace is the most important thing.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんに賛成です。Yota-san ni sansei desu.I agree with you, Yota.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “war” translations and entries 戦争, 戦, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 戦, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
