How to say "disease" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 病気びょうきnounThe everyday default for illness or disease in general, usually something more substantial than a minor ailment such as a common cold; when in doubt, this is the word to use.
- 疾患しっかんnounThe clinical choice: a disease or disorder thought of as a named medical condition, so it prevails in medicine and health reporting. In casual talk about being ill, 病気 is the natural pick.
- 疾病しっぺいnounA close synonym of 病気 that belongs mainly to writing — official documents, medical and legal texts, news reports — rather than conversation; seldom the word you need to produce yourself.
- 病魔びょうまnounPersonifies disease as a demon at work in the body, so it belongs to figurative, emotive language about battling or wasting away from illness — not a neutral way to refer to a disease.
- 病患びょうかんnounSeldom the word you want for 'disease': it sees little independent use in everyday Japanese, and 病気 already covers the ordinary sense. Treat this as a word to recognize, not to produce.
For 'disease', default to 病気 in everyday speech, use 疾患 for diseases as named clinical conditions, and 疾病 in written or official contexts; 病魔 is figurative and 病患 is seldom needed.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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