Japanese word

参戦

Pronunciation

Romajisansen

Meaning

  • nounjoin the war

Example

その国は隣国との戦争に参戦しました。so no kuni wa rin goku to no sen sō ni san sen shi ma shi ta

That country joined the war against its neighbor.

Illustration for 参戦 (join the war)

More examples

その国は同盟国を守るために参戦しました。so no kuni wa dō mei koku o mamo ru ta me ni san sen shi ma shi ta

That country joined the war to protect its ally.

Core concept

参戦 (sansen) marks joining an active struggle, whether it is a war or a competitive event.

Common phrases

  • 参戦を表明するsan sen o hyō mei su ru

    announce an intention to join the war

Similar words

参加sanka: The act of taking part in a war, group, activity, or event.
加勢kasei: The act of joining a side in a conflict to provide support.
交戦kōsen: The act of fighting an opposing force directly.

Definition in Japanese

戦争や競争などに参加すること。sen sō ya kyō sō na do ni san ka su ru ko to

Word origin

参戦 (sansen) combines 参 (san, "join") and 戦 (sen, "war"), giving the literal sense of joining a war and the extended sense of entering a contest.

Usage tips

  • In conversational Japanese, 参戦 (sansen) can describe entering an argument or debate, giving the discussion a playful battle-like tone.

Other meanings

  • enter a competitionnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 参戦者sansenshawar participantnoun

Word lists with this word