Japanese word

病気

Pronunciation

Romajibyōki

Meaning

  • nounsickness

Example

病気で学校を休みました。byō ki de gak kō o yasu mi ma shi ta

I missed school because I was sick.

Illustration for 病気 (sickness)

More examples

家族が病気になったので、病院へ行きました。ka zoku ga byō ki ni na tta no de byō in e i ki ma shi ta

My family member got sick, so we went to the hospital.

Core concept

Centers on a loss of normal health that produces physical or mental symptoms.

Common phrases

  • 病気になるbyō ki ni na ru

    get sick

  • 病気が治るbyō ki ga nao ru

    recover from an illness

  • 病気の症状byō ki no shō jō

    symptoms of an illness

Similar words

具合guai: A general word for a person's physical condition, especially when it is not good.
体調taichō: A person's physical condition at a particular time.

Definition in Japanese

健康を損ない、体に不調が生じている状態。ken kō o soko na i karada ni fu chō ga shō ji te i ru jō tai

Word origin

病気 (byōki) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 病 (byō, "illness") and 気 (ki, "state"), referring to an unhealthy state.

Usage tips

  • The phrase 病気です (byōki desu) can simply mean that a person is unwell, so it does not by itself indicate a serious condition.

Other meanings

  • illnessnoun
  • diseasenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word