How to say "invade" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 攻め込むせめこむgodan verb, intransitive verbCovers the military sense of invading: entering enemy territory by force to attack it. The nuance is an active incursion, an army marching in and carrying the fight onto the enemy's own ground.
- 侵すおかすgodan verb, transitive verbCovers invading as encroachment or violation: intruding on another's territory or violating airspace and the like. The nuance is trespass on a domain or right rather than a full-scale armed assault.
- 荒らすあらすgodan verb, transitive verbOnly marginally 'invade': its core sense is to lay waste to, ransack, or vandalize. Use it when the idea is breaking in and wrecking a place, not for invasion in the military sense.
Use 「攻め込む」 for attacking into enemy territory, 「侵す」 for encroaching on or violating another's territory or airspace, and 「荒らす」 only when the sense is ravaging or breaking into rather than true invasion.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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