失神する

• Reading: しっしんする
• Romaji: shisshin suru
• Kanji breakdown: 失 (shitsu) — lose, miss; 神 (shin) — spirit, mind, god
• Pronunciation: /ɕis.ɕiɴ.sɯ.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To faint; to lose consciousness; to swoon. A sudden, temporary loss of awareness.

A suru-verb for losing consciousness temporarily, usually due to shock, heat, pain, or medical conditions. The noun form 失神 (shisshin) means fainting or syncope. Composed of 失 (shitsu, lose) + 神 (shin, spirit/mind). More clinical and formal than 気を失う (ki wo ushinau, to lose consciousness), which is more commonly used in everyday speech. Often appears in medical, sports, and news contexts.

Examples

1. 暑さのあまり、選手が試合中に失神した。 Overcome by the heat, the athlete fainted during the match.
2. 注射を見ただけで失神しそうになった。 Just looking at the needle made me feel like I was going to faint.
3. 彼女は突然失神して、病院に運ばれた。 She suddenly lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, sports, news

Tone: serious

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 失 (shitsu, lose) + 神 (shin, spirit/mind) + する (suru, to do). Literally 'to lose one's spirit' — the mind temporarily departing from the body.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal