陣(じん)

じん
noun, suffix
camp, battle formation; corps, lineup
militaryperson
1. camp; battle formation; position
A military encampment or the arrangement of troops on a field. Survives mainly in set phrases and historical writing, and in figures of speech drawn from them.
陣(じん)を張(は)る。
To set up camp.
敵(てき)の陣(じん)を崩(くず)すのは難(むずか)しい。
Breaking the enemy's formation is difficult.
川(かわ)を背(せ)にして陣(じん)を構(かま)えたのは、退(しりぞ)く気(き)がなかったからだ。
He took up position with the river at his back because he had no intention of retreating.
2. corps; lineup; body of people (as a suffix)
As a suffix on a noun, the assembled group of people in one role: 報道陣(ほうどうじん) (the press corps), 首脳陣(しゅのうじん) (the top brass). This is by far the commoner use in modern Japanese.
報道(ほうどう)陣(じん)が集(あつ)まった。
The press corps gathered.
今年(ことし)は投手(とうしゅ)陣(じん)が厚(あつ)い。
The pitching staff is deep this year.
首脳(しゅのう)陣(じん)が総入(そうい)れ替(か)えになり、会社(かいしゃ)の方針(ほうしん)も大(おお)きく変(か)わった。
The entire senior leadership was replaced, and the company's direction changed sharply.

Sense 2 is a suffix and never stands alone; learners meet it far more often than sense 1.

Compounds

Common expressions

general
Added 2026.8.10 9:22 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
30500/30535_jin