Usage patterns 戦せん 艦かん が 沈しず む for a battleship to sink
The battleship was hit by a torpedo and sank.
戦せん 艦かん を 建けん 造ぞう する to build a battleship
At the time, Japan was building the latest battleships.
戦せん 艦かん に 乗の る to board/ride on a battleship
The sailors boarded the battleship and set sail.
Related words 戦艦 refers to a large, heavily armed battleship, whereas 駆逐艦 is a smaller, faster destroyer class.
戦艦 refers specifically to a heavily armed battleship, while 軍艦 is the general term covering any type of military vessel.
Don't confuse with 軍艦 is the general word for any warship, while 戦艦 specifically means a battleship, a heavily armored gun-carrying type of 軍艦 .
巡洋艦 (cruiser) is smaller and faster than 戦艦 (battleship), built for scouting and escort rather than heavy frontal combat.
駆逐艦 (destroyer) is a small, fast, lightly armed ship, quite unlike the heavily armored 戦艦 (battleship).
戦艦 (battleship) is a larger, more heavily armed warship than a クルーザー (cruiser), so the two are easily mixed up when talking about naval vessels.
Etymology Compound of 戦 (sen, 'war, battle') + 艦 (kan, 'warship'). The term was coined in the late 19th century as a translation of the Western naval classification 'battleship'.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
