中佐(ちゅうさ)

ちゅうさ
noun
lieutenant colonel; commander
occupation
1. lieutenant colonel (army/air force); commander (navy)
A senior military officer rank. In the army and air force, equivalent to lieutenant colonel; in the navy, equivalent to commander. Ranks above major (少佐) and below colonel (大佐).
中佐(ちゅうさ)が作戦(さくせん)を説明(せつめい)した。
The lieutenant colonel explained the operation.
中佐(ちゅうさ)に昇格(しょうかく)して連隊(れんたい)の副官(ふくかん)となった。
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and became the regiment's adjutant.
その映画(えいが)の主人公(しゅじんこう)は陸軍(りくぐん)中佐(ちゅうさ)で、戦場(せんじょう)での苦悩(くのう)が描(えが)かれている。
The protagonist of the movie is an army lieutenant colonel, and his anguish on the battlefield is depicted.

中佐(ちゅうさ) is a senior military officer rank, equivalent to lieutenant colonel in the army/air force or commander in the navy.

RANK HIERARCHY (佐(さ) tier):

Forms

中(ちゅう) (middle) + 佐(さ) (officer rank). The 佐(さ) tier uses 少(しょう)/中(ちゅう)/大(たい) prefixes for junior/middle/senior grades.

Usage

A lieutenant colonel typically commands a battalion-sized unit. This word appears frequently in historical accounts, war films, and military-themed fiction. In modern Japanese self-defense forces (自衛隊(じえいたい)), the equivalent rank is 二等(にとう)佐(さ) (2nd-class officer).

Related Words

Related: 大佐(たいさ) (colonel)
Related: 少佐(しょうさ) (major)
general
Added 2026.3.21 19:00 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
18000/18358_chuusa