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奇襲 (きしゅう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
surprise attack ; raid
A sudden, unexpected military or tactical strike. Also used figuratively for unexpected actions that catch someone off guard. Commonly used with する and as a noun modifier with の.
彼かれ
ら
は
奇き
襲しゅう
作さく
戦せん
で
一いっ
気き
に
形けい
勢せい
を
逆ぎゃく
転てん
し
た
。
They turned the tide at once with a surprise-attack operation.
Kanji 奇 strange, strangeness, curiosity 襲 attack, advance on, succeed to Similar words 急きゅう 襲しゅう 急襲 also means a sudden attack, but emphasizes speed and swiftness rather than the element of surprise. 奇襲 focuses on catching the opponent off guard.
不ふ 意い 打う ち 不意打ち is a more general term for a surprise move or sneak attack, often used in non-military contexts like sports or personal interactions. 奇襲 is more strongly associated with planned tactical strikes.
Etymology Compound of 奇 (ki, 'strange, unexpected') and 襲 (shū, 'attack, raid'). The word is a Sino-Japanese term that entered Japanese from classical Chinese, where it referred to a sudden military strike.
