战 (zhàn) is a Chinese character meaning “war”. It is written from 占 (to divine; to occupy) and 戈 (dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “war; to fight”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
占 + 戈
Left–right structure
- 占 to divine; to occupy · zhān sound
- 戈 dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62 · gē meaning
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 核验：9 画 = 占 5 画 + 戈 4 画）；简化字「战」左「占」表音、右「戈」表义
Memory aid
A dagger-axe (戈) raised on the right, and 占 "to occupy" on the left: you take and hold ground by fighting — 战, battle. 占 also gives the sound zhàn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 战争zhàn zhēngwar; warfare战 = zhàn
- 战斗zhàn dòuto fight; combat; battle战 = zhàn
- 挑战tiǎo zhànto challenge; a challenge战 = zhàn
- 战俘zhàn fúprisoner of war战 = zhàn
- 战略zhàn lüèstrategy战 = zhàn
Go deeper
All readings
war; to fight
war; battle; to fight; to wage war
打仗；战斗。也指战争本身。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 战争zhàn zhēngwar; warfare战 = zhàn
- 战斗zhàn dòuto fight; combat; battle战 = zhàn
- 挑战tiǎo zhànto challenge; a challenge战 = zhàn
- 战俘zhàn fúprisoner of war战 = zhàn
- 战略zhàn lüèstrategy战 = zhàn
Sound component
占 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 战 mean?
战 (zhàn) means war; battle; to fight; to wage war.
How do you pronounce 战?
It is pronounced zhàn.
What parts is 战 made of?
占 (to divine; to occupy) and 戈 (dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 核验：9 画 = 占 5 画 + 戈 4 画）；简化字「战」左「占」表音、右「戈」表义. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 战 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 战?
戈. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 战?
Common ones are 战争, 战斗, 挑战. The reading of 战 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.