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戦端 (せんたん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

戦せん端たん

せ

ん

た

ん

Meanings

1

noun

outbreak of war; start of hostilities

Formal, often used in historical or news contexts. Commonly appears in the phrase 戦端を開く (to open hostilities).

両りょう国こくはついに戦せん端たんを開ひらいた。
The two countries finally opened hostilities.
戦せん端たんが開ひらかれたのは春はるのことだった。
It was in spring that the war broke out.

Kanji

戦war, battle, match
端edge, origin, end

Similar words

開かい戦せん
開戦 is the more common, general term for the outbreak of war. 戦端 is more literary and emphasizes the actual start of fighting.

Etymology

Compound of 戦 (war, battle) and 端 (beginning, edge). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning 'start of a war'.