戦いくさ

い

く

さ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

General term for armed conflict, ranging from large-scale war to a single battle. Often used in historical or literary contexts.

戦いくさに勝かつためには、戦せん略りゃくが重じゅう要ようだ。
Strategy is important to win a battle.
彼かれは戦いくさで多おおくの武ぶ功こうを立たてた。
He achieved many military exploits in the war.

noun

troops; forces

archaic

Archaic use referring to soldiers or military forces. Rare in modern Japanese.

古こ文ぶん書しょには「いくさを率ひきいる」とある。
In old documents, it says 'to lead the troops'.

See all 78 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

戦いくさを起おこすto start a war
隣りん国ごくとの領りょう土ど争あらそいが戦いくさを起おこす原げん因いんとなった。
The territorial dispute with the neighboring country became the cause of the war.
戦いくさに勝かつto win a battle/war
その武ぶ将しょうは幾いく度どもの戦いくさに勝かった。
That general won many battles.
戦いくさに敗やぶれるto lose a battle/war
彼かれの軍ぐんは戦いくさに敗やぶれて撤てっ退たいした。
His army lost the battle and retreated.
戦いくさの準じゅん備びをするto prepare for war/battle
城じょう主しゅは冬ふゆの間あいだに戦いくさの準じゅん備びを整ととのえた。
The lord prepared for battle over the winter.

Expressions

腹はらが減へっては戦いくさは出で来きぬan army marches on its stomach; you can't fight on an empty stomach

Kanji

戦war, battle, match
軍army, force, troops
兵soldier, private, troops

Related words

戦せん争そうN4sense 1
戦争 is the standard modern word for large-scale war, while 戦（いくさ）is the older, more literary term often used for historical battles.
合かっ戦せん sense 1
合戦 refers specifically to a single battle or engagement in a historical setting, whereas 戦（いくさ）can mean either a whole war or one battle.
戦せん闘とうN1sense 1
戦闘 is a more modern, clinical term for actual combat or fighting, while 戦（いくさ）carries an older, more narrative tone.
陣じん
戦 is a broad word for war or battle in general, while 陣 in this sense names a specific historical campaign or siege, as in 大坂夏の陣.
修しゅ羅ら
戦 is the general word for battle or war, whereas 修羅 stresses the brutal, chaotic carnage of a conflict.

Opposites

平へい和わN4sense 1
平和 means peace, the direct opposite state to 戦（いくさ）, which means war or battle.

Don't confuse with

戦たたかいN3sense 1
戦い (read たたかい) is written with the same kanji as 戦（いくさ）but is a distinct word meaning a fight or struggle in a broader, more general sense, not specifically a historical war.

Word family

負まけ戦いくさ
losing a battle; lost battle · battle one cannot win; unwinnable battle
勝かち戦いくさ
victorious battle; winning a battle; victory
戦いくさ上手じょうず
skilled in battle; battlewise; experienced warrior
戦いくさ化げ粧しょう
warpaint
戦いくさごっこ
playing war (children's game)

Written forms

戦いくさUsage89%
Standard kanji spelling; high news frequency.
いくさUsage10%
軍いくさUsage<1%
Rare variant; can also be read ぐん.
兵いくさ
Rare variant; can also be read へい.

Etymology

Native Japanese word. The kanji 戦 is used for its meaning 'war, battle'. The reading いくさ is not derived from the kanji's on'yomi or kun'yomi but is a pre-existing Japanese word assigned to this kanji.