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兵士 (へいし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

兵へい士し

へ

い

し

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

General term for a soldier, especially in military contexts. Can refer to enlisted personnel or warriors.

多おおくの兵へい士しが戦せん場じょうに向むかった。
Many soldiers headed to the battlefield.
彼かれは若わかい兵へい士しを訓くん練れんしている。
He is training young soldiers.

Kanji

兵soldier, private, troops
士gentleman, scholar, samurai

Similar words

軍ぐん人じん
軍人 is a broader term for military personnel, including officers, while 兵士 typically refers to rank-and-file soldiers.
戦せん士し
戦士 emphasizes a warrior or fighter, often with a more dramatic or historical nuance, whereas 兵士 is a neutral, modern term for a soldier.

Etymology

Compound of 兵 (hei, 'soldier, weapon') and 士 (shi, 'gentleman, warrior'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used to mean 'soldier' since at least the Meiji period.