Sa (rank)

Military rank of Japan, Vietnam, and North Korea

Sa (Japanese: 佐; Korean: 좌; Hanja: 佐; RR: jwa; Vietnamese: tá) is the rank held by field-grade officers in the militaries of Japan, Vietnam, and North Korea.

## Japan

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See also: Ranks and insignia of the Japan Self-Defense Forces

The only difference between rank names are the use of morphemes, which are riku (Japanese: 陸, lit. 'land'), kai (Japanese: 海, lit. 'sea') or kū (Japanese: 空, lit. 'air').[1]

Rank group | Senior officers

|

| 1等佐
(Ittō sa) | 2等佐
(Nitō sa) | 3等佐
(Santō sa)
Literal translation | Aide first class | Aide second class | Aide third class
Japanese Ground Forces[2] |  |  |
U.S. equivalent[3] | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
Japanese Navy[2][4] |  |  |
U.S. equivalent[3] | Captain | Commander | Lieutenant commander
Japanese Air Force[2][5] |  |  |
U.S. equivalent[3] | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
| 1等佐
(Ittō sa) | 2等佐
(Nitō sa) | 3等佐
(Santō sa)
Rank group | Senior officers

## North Korea

[edit]

See also: Military ranks of North Korea

Jwa

Hangul|

Hanja|

Revised Romanization| jwa
McCune–Reischauer| chwa
Rank group | Senior officers

|

Hangul | 대좌 | 상좌 | 중좌 | 소좌
Hanja | 大佐 | 上佐 | 中佐 | 少佐
Romanization | Daechwa | Sangjwa | Chungjwa | Sojwa
Literal translation  | Great assistant  | Upper assistant  | Middle assistant  | Small assistant
Korean People's Army Ground Force[6] |  |  |  |
U.S. equivalent[6] | None  | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
Korean People's Navy[6] |  |  |  |
U.S. equivalent[6] | None  | Captain | Commander | Lieutenant commander
Korean People's Army Air Force[6] |  |  |  |
U.S. equivalent[6] | None  | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
| 대좌
Daechwa | 상좌
Sangjwa | 중좌
Chungjwa | 소좌
Sojwa
Rank group | Senior officers

## Vietnam

[edit]

Main article: Vietnamese military ranks and insignia

Rank group  | Senior officers

|

Vietnamese | Đại tá | Thượng tá | Trung tá | Thiếu tá
Chữ Hán | 大佐 | 上佐 | 中佐 | 少佐
Literal translation | Grand assistant | Upper assistant | Middle assistant | Lower assistant
Vietnam People's Ground Force[7] |  |  |  |
Translation[8] | Senior colonel | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
Vietnam People's Navy[7] |  |  |  |
Translation[8] | Upper captain | Captain | Commander | Lieutenant commander
Vietnam People's Air Force[7] |  |  |  |
Vietnam Border Guard[7] |  |  |  |
Vietnam Coast Guard[7] |  |  |  |
Translation[8] | Senior colonel  | Junior Colonel  | Lieutenant colonel  | Major
Vietnamese | Đại tá | Thượng tá | Trung tá | Thiếu tá
Rank group  | Senior officers

### South Vietnamese variant

[edit]

Main article: South Vietnamese military ranks and insignia

Rank group  | Senior officers

|

Vietnamese | Đại tá | Trung tá | Thiếu tá
Chữ Hán | 大佐 | 中佐 | 少佐
Literal translation | Grand assistant | Middle assistant | Lower assistant
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
(1967-1975)[9] |  |  |
Translation[9] | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
Republic of Vietnam Navy
(1967-1975)[9] |  |  |
Translation[9] | Captain | Commander | Lieutenant commander
Republic of Vietnam Marine Division
(1967-1975) |  |  |
Translation  | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
Republic of Vietnam Air Force
(1967-1975)[9] |  |  |
Translation[9] | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major
Vietnamese | Đại tá | Trung tá | Thiếu tá
Rank group  | Senior officers

## See also

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Ranks used in Chinese character-using countries

* General officer: Jiang (rank)
* Senior officer: Sa (rank), Xiao (rank), Lyeong
* Junior officer: Wei (rank)
* Non-commissioned officers: Shi (rank)
* Enlisted ranks: Bing (rank), Shi (rank)

## References

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1. ^ "自衛隊の階級" [Ranks of the JSDF]. 平成16年版 防衛白書 [Defense of Japan 2004] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japanese Defense Agency. 2004. p. 266\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-27. Retrieved 2018-04-09.自衛隊の階級Category:Articles+containing+Japanese-language+text&rft.btitle=平成16年版+防衛白書&rft.pages=266&rft.pub=Japanese+Defense+Agency&rft.date=2004&rft_id=http://www.clearing.mod.go.jp/hakusho_data/2004/2004/pdf/16510000.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Sa+(rank)" class="Z3988">
2. ^ a b c "自衛官の階級" [Self-Defense Forces rank]. mod.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 December 2021.
3. ^ a b c Dolan, Roland E. (1992). "National Security". In Dolan, Roland E.; Worden, Robert L. (eds.). Japan: a country study. Area Handbook (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. pp. 448–449\. ISBN 978-0-8444-0731-9. LCCN 91029874. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
4. ^ "階級章" [Rank chapter]. mod.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 June 2021.
5. ^ "Rank of Insignias" (PDF). yokota.af.mil. Yokota Air Base. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
6. ^ a b c d e f Minnich, James M. (2008). "National Security". In Worden, Robert L. (ed.). North Korea: a country study. Area Handbook (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. pp. 266, 268. LCCN 2008028547. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
7. ^ a b c d e "Quy định quân hiệu, cấp hiệu, phù hiệu và lễ phục của Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam". mod.gov.vn (in Vietnamese). Ministry of Defence (Vietnam). 26 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
8. ^ a b c Pike, Douglas (1989). "National Security". In Cima, Ronald J. (ed.). Vietnam: a country study. Area Handbook (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 256\. LCCN 88600482. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
9. ^ a b c d e f Armed Forces Information and Education (1968). Uniforms of Seven Allies (DOD GEN-30). Department of Defense. pp. 26–28. Retrieved 2 July 2022.