ニキビ

• 読み: ニキビ
• ローマ字: nikibi
• 発音: /ni.ki.bi/

意味

Acne; pimples that appear on the face or body, a universal skin concern especially among teenagers.

ニキビ is the standard colloquial term for acne in Japanese, used far more commonly than the medical term 尋常性ざ瘡. In a culture that highly values clear skin, ニキビ is a major source of stress, especially for teens and young adults. A distinction is often made between 思春期ニキビ (teenage acne) and 大人ニキビ (adult acne), each with different perceived causes and treatments. The Japanese skincare market offers countless ニキビ-specific products.

例文

1. おでこにニキビできて最悪、明日デートなのに。
2. 大人ニキビって思春期のとは原因が違うらしいよ。
3. ニキビ跡を消したくて皮膚科に通ってる。

使い方ガイド

場面: daily conversation, beauty, skincare

トーン: frustrated, concerned

正しい言い方

• ニキビにはむやみに触らない方がいいよ。 (You shouldn't touch your pimples carelessly.)
• ニキビ跡がなかなか消えなくて悩んでる。 (I'm struggling because my acne scars won't fade.)

避ける言い方

• 人のニキビを指摘したりからかったりしない — 特に思春期の子にはデリケート (Don't point out or tease someone about their acne — it's especially sensitive for teenagers)

よくある間違い

• Using 吹き出物 (adult blemish) interchangeably with ニキビ — traditionally, 吹き出物 implies being past the age for 'normal' acne, so some adults prefer ニキビ to avoid feeling old

起源と歴史

Believed to derive from an older Japanese word にきみ (a type of skin bump). Has been in common use for centuries as the colloquial term for pimples and acne.

文化的背景

時代: Traditional term, always used

世代: All ages, especially teens and young adults

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Japanese pharmacy chains devote significant shelf space to ニキビ treatments, and dermatology clinics specializing in acne are common.