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一等卒 (いっとうそつ, ittousotsu) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

一いっ等とう卒そつ

い

っ

と

う

そ

つ

Meanings

1

private first class

A former rank in the Imperial Japanese Army, equivalent to private first class. Now historical.

彼かれの祖そ父ふは戦せん時じ中ちゅう、一いっ等とう卒そつとして従

じゅう

軍ぐん

し

た

。

His grandfather served as a private first class during the war.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
等etc., and so forth, class (first)
卒graduate, soldier, private

Related words

二に等とう卒そつ
二等卒 is the rank directly below 一等卒, equivalent to private.
上じょう等とう兵へい
上等兵 is a higher rank, roughly equivalent to superior private or lance corporal.

Built from

一いっ等とう+卒そつ

Written forms

一いっ等とう卒そつ
Standard kanji spelling for this military rank.
１いっ等とう卒そつ
Numerical variant; less common but still encountered.

Etymology

Compound of 一等 (first class) and 卒 (soldier). The term was used in the Imperial Japanese Army ranking system.