嘔吐

• Reading: おうと
• Romaji: outo
• Kanji breakdown: 嘔 (ou) — vomit, retch; 吐 (to) — spit out, vomit
• Pronunciation: /oː.to/

Meaning

Vomiting; emesis; the act of throwing up.

A formal/medical term for vomiting. Used primarily in medical, clinical, and written contexts. In everyday speech, 吐く (haku) or 戻す (modosu) are more common. Often appears in symptom descriptions, medical records, and health-related articles.

Examples

1. 患者は激しい嘔吐の症状を訴えた。 The patient complained of severe vomiting.
2. 食中毒による嘔吐と下痢が続いている。 Vomiting and diarrhea from food poisoning have continued.
3. 乗り物酔いで嘔吐してしまった。 I ended up vomiting from motion sickness.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, health, clinical reports

Tone: clinical

Origin & History

Compound of 嘔 (to vomit, to retch) + 吐 (to spit out, to vomit). Both kanji independently mean vomiting, creating an emphatic compound typical of medical Sino-Japanese terminology.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal