Japanese symbol for “war”
戦争
せんそう
Romaji: sensou
war
In Japanese, war is 戦争, read せんそう (sensou).
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, vi, vs war
- n, vi, vs fighting; fierce competition
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “war”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戦 | いくさ ikusa | war; battle; campaign |
| 戦い | たたかい tatakai | battle; war; fight |
| 交戦 | こうせん kousen | war; battle; hostilities |
| 戦 | せん sen | war; battle |
| 役 | えき eki | war; campaign; battle |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 戦い | たたかい tatakai | battle; war; fight |
| 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 |
| 競争 | きょうそう kyousou | competition; contest; rivalry |
| 争い | あらそい arasoi | fight; dispute; feud |
| 紛争 | ふんそう funsou | dispute; conflict; trouble |
See also: Chinese symbol for “war”.
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.