战 meaning and stroke order
War, fighting, battle
How to write 战, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 8
- 9
Meaning of 战
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fight
- fight
- war
- battle
How 战 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Spear.
戈 gives the meaning and 占 hints at the sound.
Radical: 戈 (spear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 战
战 is built from 占 (zhàn), which gives the sound, and 戈 (gē), a spear or dagger-axe, which gives the meaning. Picture a soldier using a spear 戈 to seize and occupy 占 ground in battle.
战 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It mostly appears in compounds like 战争 (zhànzhēng, war), 战斗 (zhàndòu, to fight), and 挑战 (tiǎozhàn, challenge). Example: 我喜欢接受新的挑战。(Wǒ xǐhuan jiēshòu xīn de tiǎozhàn.) I like taking on new challenges.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 战 with 站 (zhàn, to stand), which sounds identical but has the standing radical 立 instead of the spear 戈. If the meaning is fighting, look for the spear on the right.
Common words with 战
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 战争 | zhànzhēng | war; conflict | HSK 4 |
| 战斗 | zhàndòu | to fight; to engage in combat | HSK 4 |
| 挑战 | tiǎozhàn | to challenge; to take on a challenge; a challenge | HSK 4 |
| 战士 | zhànshì | fighter; soldier | HSK 4 |
| 战胜 | zhànshèng | to prevail over; to defeat | HSK 4 |
| 作战 | zuòzhàn | combat; to fight | HSK 6 |
| 战场 | zhànchǎng | battlefield | HSK 6 |
| 战术 | zhànshù | tactics | HSK 6 |
| 战略 | zhànlüè | strategy | HSK 6 |
| 战友 | zhànyǒu | comrade-in-arms; battle companion | HSK 6 |
| 冷战 | lěngzhàn | cold war; (fig.) strained relationship | HSK 7-9 |
| 战役 | zhànyì | military campaign | |
| 开战 | kāizhàn | to start a war; to make war | |
| 大战 | dàzhàn | war; to wage war |
战 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 战
How many strokes are in 战?
战 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 战 mean?
战 (zhàn) means war, fighting, battle. A common word with it is 战争 (zhànzhēng), meaning "war; conflict".
How do you pronounce 战?
战 is pronounced zhàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 战?
The radical of 战 is 戈, which carries the idea of "spear". Dictionaries list 战 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 战?
The traditional form of 战 is 戰. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 战 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 战 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 战 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 战争 and 战斗?
战争 (zhànzhēng) is a noun for a whole war between countries or groups. 战斗 (zhàndòu) refers to a specific fight or combat action, and it can also be used as a verb meaning to fight.
Does 挑战 always mean a fight?
No. 挑战 (tiǎozhàn) is very common in everyday life and simply means a challenge or to challenge someone. You can use it for a hard exam, a new job, or a sports match.