敗戦

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 敗戦 is read as はいせん; 敗 (defeat) with 戦 (war) forms a noun for defeat in war.
• Basic usage: Use 敗戦を機に when the defeat becomes a turning point and 敗戦後 for the period after it.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Defeat in war
  • It focuses on a country or armed force losing a war rather than every loss in an ordinary game.
• Turning point and later period
  • を機に makes the defeat the occasion for reform, while 後 locates the town’s changes after the event.