戦後

Japanese JLPT N1 Vocabulary Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral せんごsengo
Reading せんご
Romaji sengo
Kanji breakdown 戦 (sen) — war, battle; 後 (go/ato) — after, behind
Pronunciation /seŋ.ɡo/

Meaning

Post-war; the period following a war. In Japanese, almost always refers specifically to the period after World War II (1945 onwards).

In Japanese cultural and historical discourse, 戦後 has singular gravitational weight: it marks the comprehensive transformation of Japanese society, politics, economy, and identity that followed the surrender of August 1945. 戦後 denotes not merely chronological time but an entire era defined by reconstruction, the American occupation, the economic miracle, and collective trauma. The phrase 戦後は終わった (the post-war era is over) periodically resurfaces in public debate.

Examples

  1. 戦後の混乱の中から、日本は驚異的な速度で経済的復興を遂げた。 From the chaos of the post-war period, Japan achieved economic recovery at a remarkable pace.
  2. 彼女の祖父は戦後すぐに農業を始め、家族を養った。 Her grandfather began farming immediately after the war and supported his family.
  3. 戦後文学は、戦争の傷跡と人間の実存的苦悩を深く描いた。 Post-war literature depicted, in great depth, the wounds of war and the existential anguish of human beings.

Usage Guide

Context: history, journalism, literature, politics

Tone: serious

Origin & History

A straightforward compound of 戦 (war) + 後 (after/behind). Its cultural weight is entirely contextual — in Japan, the default referent is always WWII unless specified otherwise.

Cultural Context

Era: 1945–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Related Phrases

年度 Fiscal year; academic year; official year. A defined annual period used for administrative, educational, or financial purposes, often not aligned with the calendar year. 昭和 The Shōwa era; the imperial reign period of Emperor Hirohito, spanning 1926 to 1989. One of the longest and most historically eventful eras in Japanese history. 歴史的 Historic; historical. Describes something of great historical significance, or something related to history in general. 元号 Era name; the official name given to a reign period in the Japanese imperial system. Japan currently uses the era Reiwa, which began in 2019. 干支 The Chinese zodiac; the traditional sexagenary cycle combining the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches. Also used colloquially to refer to one's zodiac animal sign. 年号 Era name; Japanese era designation. An official name given to a reign period in the traditional Japanese calendar system. 年度末 End of the fiscal year or academic year; year-end in the Japanese administrative calendar. Typically refers to late March. 戦前 Pre-war; the period before a war. In Japanese, typically refers to Japan before World War II, particularly before 1937 or 1941.
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