How to say "healthy" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 丈夫じょうぶna-adjectiveCovers 'healthy' in the sense of physically robust and resistant to illness — a strong body or constitution. Also describes sturdy, well-built objects, so it is not the word for healthy diets or lifestyles.彼は丈夫だったそうです。↗He is said to have been strong.
- 健全けんぜんna-adjective, nounCovers 'healthy' in the figurative sense of sound and wholesome — a sound mind, healthy development, or a wholesome state of affairs — rather than the physical health of a person's body.
- na-adjectiveThe loanword for 'healthy' as in food and lifestyle: light, nutritious meals and health-conscious habits. It describes meals and ways of living, not the health of a person or body.
- 健やかすこやかna-adjective, nounA warm word for being healthy and thriving, used chiefly of children and their growth: it pictures someone growing up sound in body and mind.
- 達者たっしゃna-adjectiveDescribes someone, often an older person, as fit, active and free of illness — hale and hearty. Used of people rather than diets or institutions, and often in wishes for someone's continued good health.
Use 丈夫 for robust physical sturdiness, 健全 for soundness of mind, society or development, 「ヘルシー」 for healthy food and lifestyles, 「健やか」 for healthy growth, and 達者 for people staying fit and well.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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