不戦(ふせん)

ふせん
noun
non-combat; without fighting; by default
formalwrittenpoliticssports
1. non-combat; not fighting; pacifism
The principle or state of not engaging in war or combat. Used in political and historical contexts to describe anti-war positions or treaties.
不戦(ふせん)の誓(ちか)いを立(た)てる。
To take a vow of non-aggression.
不戦(ふせん)条約(じょうやく)は戦争(せんそう)の放棄(ほうき)を定(さだ)めた。
The non-aggression pact stipulated the renunciation of war.
憲法(けんぽう)の不戦(ふせん)の理念(りねん)は、戦後(せんご)日本(にほん)の外交(がいこう)政策(せいさく)の根幹(こんかん)をなしている。
The constitutional principle of non-combat forms the foundation of postwar Japan's foreign policy.
2. without a match; by default; walkover
In sports and competitions, winning or losing without the match actually taking place, typically because an opponent withdraws or fails to appear.
相手(あいて)の棄権(きけん)で不戦勝(ふせんしょう)になった。
It became a win by default due to the opponent's withdrawal.
けがのため不戦敗(ふせんぱい)となった。
It became a loss by default due to injury.
大会(たいかい)では不戦(ふせん)を含(ふく)めて全勝(ぜんしょう)だった。
At the tournament, the record was all wins including walkovers.

Compound of 不(ふ) ('non-; not') and 戦(せん) ('war; battle; match'). The word has two quite different domains: geopolitical (sense 1) and sporting (sense 2), both deriving from the core meaning of 'not fighting.'

Usage

In the political sense, 不戦(ふせん) often appears in discussions of Japan's pacifist constitution and international treaties. In the sports sense, it is common in tournament brackets and sumo results. Context makes the intended sense clear.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 付箋(ふせん): sticky note — homophone with different kanji; completely unrelated
  • 休戦(きゅうせん): ceasefire — a temporary stop to fighting, not the same as refusing to fight at all
  • 棄権(きけん): withdrawal; abstention — the act of dropping out of a match, which causes a 不戦(ふせん) result for the opponent
  • 反戦(はんせん): anti-war — active opposition to war; 不戦(ふせん) is the state or principle of not fighting

Related Words

Homophone: 付箋(ふせん) (sticky note)
Compare: 休戦(きゅうせん) (ceasefire)
Compare: 棄権(きけん) (withdrawal)
Compare: 非暴力(ひぼうりょく) (nonviolence)
general
Added 2026.4.20 18:16 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
24500/24628_fusen