スマホ首

• Reading: スマホくび
• Romaji: sumaho kubi
• Kanji breakdown: スマホ (smartphone, from English 'smart phone') + 首 (neck) → smartphone neck
• Pronunciation: /su.ma.ho.ku.bi/

Meaning

Text neck; neck pain or poor posture caused by constantly looking down at a smartphone.

スマホ首 describes the modern epidemic of forward head posture and neck strain from prolonged smartphone use. As smartphone screen time skyrocketed, orthopedic clinics reported a surge in patients with this condition. The term is widely used in health media, beauty advice, and posture correction content, making it one of the most recognizable modern health buzzwords in Japan.

Examples

1. スマホ首がひどくて整体に通い始めた。 My text neck got so bad that I started going to a chiropractor.
2. スマホ首の改善ストレッチがバズってたから試してみた。 A stretch for fixing text neck went viral so I tried it out.
3. 電車でみんなスマホ見てるけど、絶対スマホ首になるよね。 Everyone on the train is staring at their phones — they're definitely gonna get text neck.

Usage Guide

Context: health, daily conversation, social media

Tone: concerned, self-aware

Do Say

• スマホ首やばいから、画面の位置もっと上にした方がいいよ。 (Your text neck must be terrible — you should hold your screen higher.)
• 最近スマホ首が気になって姿勢矯正グッズ買った。 (I've been worried about text neck lately so I bought a posture corrector.)

Don't Say

• 医師の診察で「スマホ首」とだけ言う — 正式にはストレートネックなど医学用語を使う (At a doctor's appointment, use medical terms like ストレートネック rather than the colloquial スマホ首)

Common Mistakes

• Thinking スマホ首 is just about the neck — it can also cause headaches, shoulder pain, and upper back problems

Origin & History

Compound of スマホ (smartphone, abbreviated from スマートフォン) + 首 (neck). Coined in the 2010s as smartphone usage became ubiquitous and orthopedic complaints about forward head posture surged.

Cultural Context

Era: 2010s, as smartphone usage became universal

Generation: All ages, especially heavy smartphone users

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Frequently featured in health segments on TV and YouTube posture-correction content.