引きこもり

• Reading: ひきこもり
• Romaji: hikikomori
• Kanji breakdown: 引き (pull/withdraw) + こもり (seclude/shut in) → withdrawing into seclusion
• Pronunciation: /çi.ki.ko.mo.ɾi/

Meaning

A social recluse who withdraws from society and stays confined at home, often for months or years.

引きこもり describes both the condition and the person. Japan's Ministry of Health defines it as someone who has remained isolated at home for six months or more without attending school or work. While it began as a youth phenomenon, '8050 problem' (80-year-old parents supporting 50-year-old hikikomori) has become a major social issue. The term is used both clinically and casually.

Examples

1. 弟が引きこもりになって3年、家族みんな心配してる。 My younger brother became a hikikomori three years ago — the whole family is worried.
2. 週末ずっと家にいたら友達に引きこもりって言われた。 I stayed home all weekend and my friends called me a hikikomori.
3. 引きこもりから社会復帰するのは本当に大変らしい。 I hear getting back into society after being a hikikomori is really tough.

Usage Guide

Context: social commentary, mental health, casual teasing, news media

Tone: serious or light depending on context

Do Say

• 今日は引きこもりデーにする (Today's going to be a shut-in day)
• 引きこもり問題は社会全体で考えないと (The hikikomori issue needs to be addressed by society as a whole)

Don't Say

• 実際に苦しんでいる人に冗談で「引きこもりじゃん」は傷つける (Jokingly calling someone who is genuinely struggling a hikikomori is hurtful)

Common Mistakes

• Using 引きこもり casually for just staying home one weekend — true hikikomori is a serious long-term condition
• Assuming all hikikomori are young — the average age has risen significantly, with many in their 40s-50s

Origin & History

From 引く (to pull) + こもる (to seclude oneself). Psychiatrist Tamaki Saitō popularised the term in his 1998 book '社会的ひきこもり.' The phenomenon gained widespread attention in the 2000s as an emerging social crisis.

Cultural Context

Era: 1990s-2000s recognition as social phenomenon

Generation: Originally youth, now spans all ages (8050 problem)

Social background: Cross-class social issue

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Internationally recognised Japanese term. Estimated over 1 million people in Japan meet the definition.