How to say "campaign" in Japanese

• 戦いくさJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounCovers the military sense of campaign: fighting, a war, or a stretch of fighting within one. Choose it when the campaign is armed conflict; it is not the word for promotional or public-awareness campaigns.
  腹はらが減へっては戦いくさができぬ。↗

  An army travels on its stomach.
• 遠征えんせいCommon
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe military sense again, but with the nuance of an expedition: troops sent to fight in a distant place. Use it for a campaign mounted far from home rather than local fighting.
• 運動うんどうJLPT N4approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe non-military sense: an organized drive, appeal, or crusade to promote a cause or win public support. This is the word for political, social, and promotional campaigns, not for warfare.
  堅実けんじつな草の根くさのねレベルの運動うんどうを築きずきあげることに集中しゅうちゅうしなければならない。↗

  We must focus on building a solid grass-roots movement.

Use 戦 or 遠征 for military campaigns — 戦 for war and fighting in general, 遠征 for a campaign as an expedition to a distant place — and 運動 for non-military campaigns such as public appeals and drives.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 戦いくさwar
• 遠征えんせい(military) expedition
• 役えきwar
• キャンペーン(sales) promotion
• カンパニア(political) campaign
• 運動うんどうappeal
• カンパ(political) campaign
• 陣じんwar