余命

• Reading: よめい
• Romaji: yomei
• Kanji breakdown: 余 (yo) — remaining, surplus; 命 (mei) — life, fate, lifespan
• Pronunciation: /jo.meː/

Meaning

Remaining life; life expectancy; prognosis. The estimated length of time a terminally ill patient is expected to live.

A noun with a profound emotional weight in Japanese medical and literary contexts. 余命宣告 (告知) refers to the formal disclosure of a terminal prognosis to a patient or family. Medical ethics debates in Japan have historically centred on whether and how doctors should disclose 余命 to patients. Used both clinically and in news reporting.

Examples

1. 医師から余命三ヶ月と告知された患者が、残された時間を家族と過ごした。 A patient who was told he had three months to live spent his remaining time with his family.
2. 余命宣告を受けた後、彼はバケツリストを作り一つずつ実現していった。 After receiving the terminal prognosis, he made a bucket list and set about fulfilling each item one by one.
3. 末期がん患者の余命を正確に予測することは、現代医学でも難しい。 Accurately predicting the remaining life expectancy of a terminal cancer patient is difficult even with modern medicine.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, terminal care, end-of-life, oncology, medical ethics

Tone: grave, serious

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound: 余 (yo) means remaining or surplus, and 命 (mei) means life, fate, or lifespan. The compound expresses the life that remains after a terminal diagnosis, carrying both clinical precision and deep human significance.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adult

Social background: Universal