战士(zhàn shì) - soldier, fighter, warrior in Mandarin

战士 (zhàn shì) is a soldier, but with a warmer colour than the plain 士兵 (shì bīng). 士兵 is the rank, the ordinary enlisted man; 战士 carries respect and often heroism, which is why it dominates news writing, war films and speeches.

That colouring lets it stretch beyond the army. 白衣战士 is a standard epithet for medical staff, and you will hear 战士 used figuratively for anyone in a hard fight for a cause. English "warrior" catches the tone better than "soldier" in those uses.

Two small habits. The plural is 战士们 when you are addressing or describing a group, and the measure word is 名 in most written contexts (一名战士). Both syllables are fourth tone, so the whole word falls twice, zhàn shì.