戦火(せんか)

せんか
noun
war fire; flames of war; ravages of war
1. war fire; flames of war; ravages of war; wartime destruction
The fires and destruction caused by war, or war itself viewed as a destructive force. Used both literally for fires caused by bombing and figuratively for the devastation of armed conflict.
戦火(せんか)を逃(のが)れる。
To escape the flames of war.
街(まち)は戦火(せんか)で焼(や)け野原(のはら)になった。
The city was reduced to a burnt wasteland by war.
戦火(せんか)を免(まぬが)れたこの寺(てら)には、何百年(なんびゃくねん)も前(まえ)の貴重(きちょう)な文化財(ぶんかざい)が今(いま)も残(のこ)っている。
This temple, which escaped the ravages of war, still preserves precious cultural artifacts from hundreds of years ago.

A compound of 戦(せん) (war, battle) and 火(か) (fire). A literary and somewhat formal word evoking the destructive power of war. Frequently appears in historical writing, news reporting on conflicts, and memorial contexts.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 戦火(せんか)を逃(のが)れる: to flee from war
  • 戦火(せんか)を免(まぬが)れる: to be spared from wartime destruction
  • 戦火(せんか)に巻(ま)き込(こ)まれる: to be caught up in war
  • 戦火(せんか)が広(ひろ)がる: the flames of war spread
  • 戦火(せんか)で失(うしな)われた: lost to war

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 戦禍(せんか): war damage, ravages of war — homophone with the same meaning, but written with 禍(か) (calamity) instead of 火(か) (fire)
  • 砲火(ほうか): gunfire, bombardment — specifically the firing of weapons
  • 戦乱(せんらん): war and chaos — focuses on the social upheaval caused by war
general
Added 2026.4.4 3:27
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