Translation guide
The process of eliminating waste from the body. In Japanese, the most common and neutral term is 排泄 (はいせつ), but everyday speech often uses more specific or euphemistic expressions depending on the type of waste.
Referring to the bodily function of eliminating waste (urine, feces, sweat, etc.) in a neutral, scientific, or medical context.
The standard technical/medical term for excretion. Covers all types of bodily waste elimination. Used in formal, written, or clinical contexts.
排泄は生命維持に不可欠な機能です。
Excretion is an essential function for sustaining life.
腎臓は老廃物の排泄を担っている。
The kidneys are responsible for the excretion of waste products.
Means 'discharge' or 'elimination' and is often used interchangeably with 排泄, but can also refer to non-biological discharge (e.g., emissions from a factory). Slightly broader.
体内の毒素を排出する。
To excrete toxins from the body.
Talking about going to the bathroom in daily conversation. Direct translations of 'excretion' sound overly clinical; Japanese uses specific verbs or euphemisms.
The verb form of 排泄. Grammatically correct but sounds stiff and medical in casual speech. Avoid in everyday conversation.
Using 排泄する in casual contexts sounds unnatural, like saying 'I am going to excrete waste.' Use the specific verbs below instead.
患者は自力で排泄できません。
The patient cannot excrete on their own.
In natural Japanese, people specify the type of excretion using common verbs. For urination: おしっこをする (casual), 排尿する (formal/medical). For defecation: うんちをする (casual), 排便する (formal/medical). In polite conversation, euphemisms like トイレに行く (to go to the toilet) are preferred.
ちょっとトイレに行ってくる。
I'm going to the bathroom for a bit.
子供が「おしっこ！」と言った。
The child said, 'I need to pee!'
Referring to the excretion of sweat, carbon dioxide, or other non-fecal/urinary waste.
The natural way to say 'to sweat' or 'to perspire.' Not typically called 排泄 in daily speech, though technically it is a form of excretion.
運動してたくさん汗をかいた。
I exercised and sweated a lot.
Literally 'to discharge waste products.' Used in health or beauty contexts to describe eliminating metabolic waste through sweat, urine, etc.
サウナで老廃物を排出しましょう。
Let's eliminate waste products in the sauna.
The English word 'excretion' is a broad, clinical term. In Japanese, directly using 排泄 in everyday conversation sounds overly technical and unnatural. Instead, use specific words for the type of waste (urine, feces, sweat) or polite euphemisms like トイレに行く.
排泄 (はいせつ) specifically refers to the elimination of bodily waste by living organisms. 排出 (はいしゅつ) is broader and can refer to any kind of discharge or emission, including non-biological ones (e.g., factory smoke). In medical contexts, they are often interchangeable, but 排泄 is more precise for biological excretion.