悪循環

• Reading: あくじゅんかん
• Romaji: akujunkan
• Kanji breakdown: 悪 (aku) — bad, evil; 循 (jun) — follow, circulate; 環 (kan) — ring, cycle
• Pronunciation: /a.kɯ.dʑɯɴ.kaɴ/

Meaning

Vicious circle; vicious cycle.

Describes a situation where one problem causes another, which in turn worsens the original problem. Commonly used in discussions about health, economics, relationships, and social issues. The opposite is 好循環 (kōjunkan, virtuous cycle).

Examples

1. ストレスで眠れず、睡眠不足でさらにストレスがたまる悪循環に陥った。 I fell into a vicious cycle where stress kept me from sleeping, and the lack of sleep made my stress even worse.
2. この悪循環を断ち切るには生活習慣を変えるしかない。 The only way to break this vicious cycle is to change your lifestyle habits.
3. 借金が借金を生む悪循環から抜け出せない人が多い。 Many people can't escape the vicious cycle of debt breeding more debt.

Usage Guide

Context: health, economics, social issues

Tone: serious

Origin & History

Compound of 悪 (bad) + 循環 (circulation/cycle). A direct translation concept from the Latin 'circulus vitiosus,' adopted into Japanese academic and everyday language.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal