禁忌

• Reading: きんき
• Romaji: kinki
• Kanji breakdown: 禁 (kin) — prohibit, forbid, restrain; 忌 (ki) — avoid, taboo, mourning
• Pronunciation: /ki.ŋ.ki/

Meaning

Contraindication; prohibition; something that must be strictly avoided due to danger, medical risk, or cultural taboo.

In medicine, refers to conditions or factors that rule out a particular treatment, drug, or procedure (e.g., 妊娠中は禁忌: contraindicated during pregnancy). Also used in religious, cultural, and social contexts to mean taboo or strictly forbidden. The medical usage is the most prevalent in modern Japanese, particularly in drug prescribing information and clinical guidelines.

Examples

1. この薬は腎臓病の患者には禁忌とされているため、処方できない。 This medication is contraindicated for patients with kidney disease, so it cannot be prescribed.
2. その手術は特定の状態では禁忌に当たる場合がある。 That surgery may be contraindicated under certain conditions.
3. 宗教的な観点から、その地域では特定の食べ物が禁忌とされていた。 From a religious standpoint, certain foods were considered taboo in that region.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, pharmacology, surgery, religion, cultural taboo

Tone: clinical

Origin & History

Compound of 禁 (kin, prohibit/forbid) and 忌 (ki, avoid/taboo/mourning). Together they convey something that is both forbidden and to be actively avoided or dreaded.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: Adults

Social background: General