Health, Medicine & the Body

Introduction

N1 health vocabulary goes beyond common symptoms into diagnosis, physical condition, treatment, and the language used in medical, social, and policy contexts. This is the register you meet in reporting, serious nonfiction, and institutional writing.

It strengthens both practical comprehension and your ability to follow Japanese discussions of the body, care, and public health with more precision.

Themes

All JLPT N1 Vocabulary in This Chapter (50)

1. 人工呼吸 じんこうこきゅう Artificial respiration; CPR. A life-saving technique to restore breathing in someone who has stopped breathing.
2. 衰弱 すいじゃく Debility; weakness; enfeeblement; decline. A state of severe physical or mental weakening, often from illness or prolonged hardship.
3. 精神疾患 せいしんしっかん Mental illness; psychiatric disorder. A clinically significant disturbance in cognition, emotion, or behaviour.
4. 潜伏期 せんぷくき Incubation period; latent period. The interval between exposure to a pathogen and the appearance of first symptoms.
5. 全快 ぜんかい Complete recovery; full recuperation. A return to full health after illness or injury.
6. 損傷 そんしょう Damage; injury; impairment; lesion. Physical harm to the body or an organ, ranging from minor to severe.
7. 体質 たいしつ Constitution; temperament; predisposition. The inherent physical or physiological characteristics that define a person's health tendencies.
8. 治癒 ちゆ Healing; cure; recovery; remission. The process by which a disease or injury resolves and the body returns to health.
9. 鎮痛 ちんつう Pain relief; analgesia. The suppression or alleviation of pain, typically through medication or treatment.
10. 投薬 とうやく Medication; drug administration; dosing. The act of prescribing or administering medicine to a patient.
11. 脳死 のうし Brain death. The irreversible cessation of all brain function, including the brainstem, used as a legal criterion for death in organ tran...
12. 脳卒中 のうそっちゅう Stroke; cerebrovascular accident (CVA). A sudden neurological emergency caused by disrupted blood flow to the brain.
13. 不眠 ふみん Insomnia; sleeplessness. An inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or achieve restorative sleep.
14. 平熱 へいねつ Normal body temperature. The baseline body temperature of a healthy individual when not ill.
15. 末期 まっき Terminal stage; final phase; end stage. The last period of a serious illness, or the final phase of a historical era.
16. 蔓延 まんえん Spread; epidemic; prevalence; proliferation. The wide and often uncontrolled spreading of disease, misinformation, or a harmful phenomenon.
17. 看取り みとり Attending the dying; deathbed care; end-of-life care. Being present with and caring for someone in the final moments of their life.
18. 問診 もんしん Medical interview; patient history taking. The clinical practice of asking a patient questions about their symptoms, medical history, and...
19. 養生 ようじょう Recuperation; taking care of oneself; nurturing health. Resting and caring for one's body to recover from illness or maintain wellbeing.
20. 予防接種 よぼうせっしゅ Vaccination; immunisation; inoculation. The administration of a vaccine to stimulate immunity against a specific disease.
21. 余命 よめい Remaining life; life expectancy; prognosis. The estimated length of time a terminally ill patient is expected to live.
22. 罹患 りかん Contracting a disease; morbidity; being affected by illness. The act or state of being struck by a disease.
23. 良性 りょうせい Benign. Describes a tumour or growth that is not cancerous and does not spread to other parts of the body. Also means good-natured or mil...
24. 療養 りょうよう Convalescence; recuperation; rest cure. A period of medical rest and care aimed at recovering from illness, surgery, or injury.
25. 老衰 ろうすい Senility; infirmity due to old age; natural decline in old age. The gradual weakening of bodily functions that occurs with advanced age.
26. 悪性 あくせい Malignant; virulent; pernicious. Used in medical contexts to describe dangerous growths or conditions, and figuratively to describe deepl...
27. 安静 あんせい Rest; repose; keeping still. A medical instruction or state of being quiet and motionless to allow the body to recover.
28. 胃腸 いちょう Stomach and intestines; the gastrointestinal tract. Refers collectively to the digestive organs.
29. 慰労 いろう Consolation; recognition of hard work; expressing appreciation and comfort to someone who has worked hard or been through hardship.
30. 延命 えんめい Prolonging life; life extension. Used in medical and ethical contexts concerning end-of-life treatment decisions.
31. 悪寒 おかん Chills; shivering; a sudden sensation of cold accompanying fever or illness onset.
32. 悪心 おしん Nausea; a feeling of wanting to vomit; queasiness.
33. 介助 かいじょ Physical assistance; hands-on caregiving support for daily activities, especially helping disabled or elderly individuals.
34. 快方 かいほう Recovery; improvement; progress in the direction of better health.
35. 過食 かしょく Overeating; binge eating; consuming excessive amounts of food beyond what the body needs.
36. 寛解 かんかい Remission; the reduction or disappearance of symptoms without a complete cure, particularly in chronic or serious illness.
37. 緩和ケア かんわケア Palliative care; medical care focused on relieving pain and improving quality of life for patients with serious illness.
38. 既往症 きおうしょう Medical history; pre-existing condition; illnesses or conditions a patient has previously had.
39. 拒食 きょしょく Food refusal; anorexia; the act of refusing or being unable to eat.
40. 禁忌 きんき Contraindication; prohibition; something that must be strictly avoided due to danger, medical risk, or cultural taboo.
41. 禁断症状 きんだんしょうじょう Withdrawal symptoms; the physical or psychological symptoms that appear when an addictive substance or behaviour is suddenly stopped.
42. 血栓 けっせん Blood clot; thrombus; an abnormal clot that forms inside a blood vessel and can obstruct blood flow.
43. 検診 けんしん Medical examination; health screening; a check-up conducted to detect or prevent illness.
44. 抗生物質 こうせいぶっしつ Antibiotic; a substance derived from microorganisms or synthesised that kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria.
45. 在宅医療 ざいたくいりょう Home medical care; healthcare services provided at a patient's home rather than in a hospital or clinic.
46. 施術 しじゅつ Treatment; procedure; the act of performing a medical, therapeutic, or cosmetic procedure on a patient.
47. 終末期 しゅうまつき Terminal phase; end-of-life period; the final stage of a life-limiting illness when recovery is no longer expected.
48. 心身 しんしん Mind and body; the physical and mental aspects of a person considered as a unified whole.
49. 診療 しんりょう Medical treatment; clinical practice; the act of examining and treating patients in a clinical setting.
50. 持病 じびょう Chronic illness; a long-standing ailment that one has had for years and continues to manage on an ongoing basis.