軍 艦(ぐんかん)

ぐんかん

noun

warship; battleship

1. warship; battleship; naval vessel

A ship built and used for military purposes, including combat, patrol, or transport of troops.

A warship was anchored in the harbor.

I saw a model of an old warship at the museum.

At the end of the Edo period, foreign warships appeared off the coast of Japan, causing great shock.

軍艦(ぐんかん) refers to any military ship. In modern usage, the word is commonly encountered in historical contexts, news, and popular culture.

軍艦(ぐんかん)島(じま) (Gunkanjima, Battleship Island — a famous abandoned island off Nagasaki)
軍艦(ぐんかん)巻(ま)き (gunkan-maki — a type of sushi wrapped in nori resembling a warship)
軍艦(ぐんかん)マーチ (Gunkan March — a famous Japanese military march)

The word is a compound of 軍(ぐん) (military) and 艦(かん) (warship). For specific types, Japanese uses compounds like 戦艦(せんかん) (battleship), 空母(くうぼ) (aircraft carrier), and 駆逐艦(くちくかん) (destroyer).

Related Words

general

Added 2026.3.1 18:01 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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