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

Related Words

Compare: 戦乱(せんらん) (war and chaos)

general

Added 2026.4.4 3:27 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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