紛争
ふんそう · funsou · JLPT N1 · noun
dispute
⚔️ 紛 = thread tangled up; 争 = fight: a tangled fight, dispute in knots
紛 means tangled or confused, and 争 means to contend or fight. Together they describe a messy knot of quarrelling, which is exactly what 紛争 (funsou) names: a dispute or strife.
争 — hand 爫 (claw) over hand 又 pulling 亅
争 depicts two hands grabbing the same object from above and below, with a vertical stroke representing the contested item between them. The image of two parties tugging at one thing gave rise to its meanings of 'to contend,' 'to fight for,' or 'to dispute.' The modern simplified form streamlines the older 爭.