How to say "survival" in Japanese

• サバイバルCommon
  nounThe loanword, for survival as a challenge or scenario: wilderness survival, survival games and shows, or 'survival' as a genre. It is not the everyday word for simply staying alive.
• 生き残りいきのこりCommon
  nounSurvival as outlasting others: remaining alive or afloat after a war, disaster, or fierce competition. It can also refer to the survivor — the person or company that pulls through.
  会社かいしゃは生き残いきのこりを賭かけて奮闘ふんとうしている。↗

  The company is struggling for survival.
• 存続そんぞくJLPT N1approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbSurvival as continued existence: whether a company, school, tradition, or institution keeps going. Here the concern is not staying alive bodily but whether something endures instead of disappearing or being abolished.
  その地方ちほうではその古ふるい風俗ふうぞくがなお存続そんぞくしている。↗

  The old custom is still kept up in that district.
• 残存ざんぞんCommon
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbSurvival in the sense of what is left: it stresses that something remains or is extant after the rest is gone, so it fits remnants better than the act of staying alive.
• 生存せいぞんJLPT N2approx.Common
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe core word for survival as staying alive: a person's survival, survival rates, or the struggle to survive. Its broader senses of 'existence' and 'life' make it the natural choice for living versus dying.
  その子この生存せいぞんに対たいする希望きぼうは急速きゅうそくに消きえつつある。↗

  Hope of finding the child alive is fading rapidly.

Choose 「サバイバル」 for outdoor or game 'survival', 生存 for staying alive generally, 「生き残り」 for outlasting rivals or disasters, 存続 for organizations or traditions continuing, and 残存 for what remains of something.

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

• サバイバルsurvival
• 生き残りいきのこりsurvival
• 存続そんぞくcontinuance
• 残存ざんぞんsurvival
• 生存せいぞんexistence
• 生残せいざんsurvival