合戦(かっせん)

かっせん
noun
battle; combat; contest
military
1. battle, combat
A military battle or armed conflict. Often used in historical contexts, especially for premodern Japanese warfare.
関(せき)ヶ原(はら)の合戦(かっせん)は有名(ゆうめい)だ。
The Battle of Sekigahara is famous.
両軍(りょうぐん)は激(はげ)しい合戦(かっせん)を繰(く)り広(ひろ)げた。
Both armies engaged in fierce battle.
歴史(れきし)の授業(じゅぎょう)で戦国(せんごく)時代(じだい)の合戦(かっせん)について学(まな)んだ。
We studied battles from the Sengoku period in history class.
2. contest, fierce competition
A heated contest or rivalry, used figuratively for non-military competitions.
雪合戦(ゆきがっせん)をして遊(あそ)んだ。
We played a snowball fight.
商店街(しょうてんがい)では安売(やすう)り合戦(がっせん)が始(はじ)まった。
A price-cutting war has started in the shopping district.
選挙(せんきょ)前(まえ)になると、各党(かくとう)の宣伝(せんでん)合戦(がっせん)が激(はげ)しくなる。
Before elections, the publicity battles between parties intensify.

Usage

Sense 1 is used primarily in historical contexts, especially premodern Japanese warfare. In modern Japanese, 戦闘(せんとう) or 戦争(せんそう) are more common for contemporary conflicts. Sense 2 is common in compounds like 雪合戦(ゆきがっせん) (snowball fight) and 安売(やすう)り合戦(がっせん) (price war).

Pronunciation

When used as a standalone word, the reading is かっせん. In compounds, it often becomes がっせん (voiced): 雪合戦(ゆきがっせん), 宣伝合戦(せんでんがっせん).

Common collocations

Related Words

Synonym: 戦闘(せんとう) (battle, combat)
Related: 戦争(せんそう) (war)
general
Added 2026.2.20 13:25 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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