精神科

• Reading: せいしんか
• Romaji: seishinka
• Kanji breakdown: 精 (sei) — refined, essential, spirit; 神 (shin/kami) — spirit, mind, god; 科 (ka) — department, branch
• Pronunciation: /seː.ɕiɴ.ka/

Meaning

Psychiatry; psychiatric department. The medical specialty dealing with mental health disorders.

A noun for the psychiatric department, treating conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses. In Japan, there has historically been stigma around visiting 精神科, though awareness of mental health has been growing. Some clinics use the softer term 心療内科 (shinryou naika, psychosomatic medicine) to reduce patient hesitation.

Examples

1. 眠れない日が続いたので、精神科を受診することにした。 I had nights where I couldn't sleep, so I decided to see a psychiatrist.
2. 精神科の医師にストレスへの対処法を教えてもらった。 The psychiatrist taught me how to cope with stress.
3. 最近は精神科に通うことへの偏見が少しずつ減ってきている。 Recently, the stigma around visiting a psychiatric clinic has been slowly fading.

Usage Guide

Context: hospitals, mental health, health

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 精神 (seishin, mind/spirit) + 科 (ka, department/branch). 精 means 'refined/essential' and 神 means 'spirit/mind' — together they form the word for the human psyche.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal