戦前(せんぜん)

せんぜん
noun
prewar, before the war
time-period
1. prewar, before the war
The period before a war. In Japanese without further specification, this almost always refers to the period before World War II, particularly the era before Japan's defeat in 1945.
戦前(せんぜん)の日本(にほん)は大(おお)きく違(ちが)っていた。
Prewar Japan was very different.
この建物(たてもの)は戦前(せんぜん)に建(た)てられた。
This building was built before the war.
戦前(せんぜん)の教育(きょういく)制度(せいど)と戦後(せんご)の教育(きょういく)制度(せいど)には大(おお)きな違(ちが)いがある。
There are major differences between the prewar and postwar education systems.

Usage

When used without qualification, 戦前(せんぜん) almost always refers to the period before World War II in Japan (before 1945). Used as a noun and as a modifier (戦前(せんぜん)の). Often contrasted with 戦後(せんご) (postwar) and 戦中(せんちゅう) (wartime).

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 戦後(せんご): postwar (after the war)
  • 戦中(せんちゅう): during the war, wartime

Related Words

Antonym: 戦後(せんご) (postwar)
Related: 戦争(せんそう) (war)
general
Added 2026.2.22 20:59 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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