Japanese symbol for “battle”
戦い
たたかい
Romaji: tatakai
battle; war; fight; conflict
In Japanese, battle is 戦い, read たたかい (tatakai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n battle; war; fight; conflict
- n fight (against time, poverty, etc.); struggle (for freedom, survival, etc.); war (e.g. on drugs); battle (e.g. against nature)
- n contest; competition; match; game
Written forms: 戦い、闘い、斗い、戰い. Readings: たたかい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “battle”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戦闘 | せんとう sentou | battle; fight; combat |
| 合戦 | かっせん kassen | battle; fight; fighting |
| 戦 | いくさ ikusa | war; battle; campaign |
| 闘争 | とうそう tousou | fight; battle; combat |
| 対戦 | たいせん taisen | fighting (against); taking on (an opponent); facing |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戦争 | せんそう sensou | war |
| 作戦 | さくせん sakusen | tactics; strategy |
| 戦闘 | せんとう sentou | battle; fight; combat |
| 挑戦 | ちょうせん chousen | challenge; defiance; dare |
| 戦後 | せんご sengo | postwar period; period after Second World War |
See also: Chinese symbol for “battle”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.