損傷

• Reading: そんしょう
• Romaji: sonshou
• Kanji breakdown: 損 (son) — loss, damage; 傷 (shou) — wound, injury
• Pronunciation: /soɴ.ɕoː/

Meaning

Damage; injury; impairment; lesion. Physical harm to the body or an organ, ranging from minor to severe.

A formal noun (also suru-verb: 損傷する/を受ける) used in medical, legal, and engineering contexts. In medicine it describes structural injury to tissues, organs, or nerves, such as 脊髄損傷 (spinal cord injury) or 肝臓損傷 (liver damage). More clinical and precise than 怪我 (injury) and often implies severity or permanence.

Examples

1. 交通事故で脊髄に深刻な損傷を負い、歩行困難となった。 He suffered serious spinal damage in a traffic accident, leaving him unable to walk.
2. 検査の結果、肝臓に軽度の損傷が見られた。 The examination revealed mild damage to the liver.
3. スポーツ選手が靭帯に損傷を受け、半年間の休場を余儀なくされた。 The athlete sustained ligament damage and was forced to take a six-month leave from competition.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, surgery, sports medicine, injury, legal

Tone: clinical, serious

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound: 損 (son) means loss or damage, and 傷 (shou) means wound or injury. Both characters convey harm, making the compound emphatic. Widely used in classical Chinese texts and adopted into formal Japanese medical terminology.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical-Modern

Generation: Adult

Social background: Universal