How to say "heartbeat" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 心拍しんぱくnounThe normal term for the physiological heartbeat, as in heart rate or monitoring. Choose this in medical, fitness, or scientific contexts when talking about the heart's beating.
- nounA loanword covering 'heartbeat', also glossed as the abbreviation HB. It is less common than 心拍, so it is seldom the word you want unless a loanword is specifically expected.
- nounPrimarily means 'pulse', with 'heartbeat' only as a secondary gloss. It is less common, so for 'heartbeat' it is really a marginal choice; consider it for the pulse sense instead.
Use 心拍 for the physiological heartbeat in medical or technical contexts; 「ハートビート」 is a rarer loanword, and 「プルス」 is primarily 'pulse', only secondarily heartbeat.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
