How to Write 战 (zhàn) — Meaning “War; battle; fight”

Imagine a soldier holding a spear (戈) standing on a piece of land he is occupying (占). This picture of a warrior occupying ground with a weapon will remind you that 战 means war or battle. You can also think of the sound "zhàn" as the shout of a fighter charging forward.

Write the left part 占 first (5 strokes), then the right part 戈 (4 strokes). A common mistake is making the slanting hook of 戈 too straight — it should curve slightly to the right. Also remember to place the dot on 戈 near the top right, not too high or low.

战 has 占 on the left and 戈 on the right, meaning war. 威 has 戈 combined with 女 (woman) underneath, meaning power or prestige, not battle. 我 also contains 戈 on the right, but its left part is a hand-like shape, and it is a personal pronoun meaning "I/me" — it has nothing to do with fighting.

战 appears in common words like 战争 (war), 战士 (soldier), and 挑战 (challenge), covering both military and competitive contexts. Culturally, it is part of idioms like 百战百胜 (fight a hundred battles, win a hundred), which praises someone who is always victorious.

Common words containing 战 include: 战争 (zhàn zhēng) — War; warfare; 战士 (zhàn shì) — Soldier; warrior; 挑战 (tiǎo zhàn) — challenge; to challenge.