Translation guide
This guide covers how to express the act of giving birth in Japanese, from common verbs to formal and medical terms, as well as figurative uses.
The most common and natural ways to say a person or animal gives birth.
The standard verb for giving birth. Used for humans and animals. Focuses on the mother's action.
She gave birth to a healthy baby boy yesterday.
Also means 'to give birth', but can be used more broadly for 'to produce' or 'to yield'. In the context of childbirth, 産む is more specific.
彼女は三人の子供を生んだ。
She gave birth to three children.
A more formal or clinical term for 'to give birth'. Often used in medical contexts or official documents.
彼女は無事に出産した。
She gave birth safely.
Formal or literary expressions for giving birth, often used in historical or ceremonial contexts.
Medical term for 'to deliver a baby'. Used in clinical settings.
彼女は自然分娩で出産した。
She gave birth by natural delivery.
A slightly softer, more traditional way to say 'to give birth'. Often used in everyday conversation by older generations.
彼女は無事にお産をした。
She gave birth safely.
Expressions for 'giving birth to' in a figurative sense, such as creating a new idea, movement, or product.
Means 'to create', 'to produce', or 'to bring forth'. Used for ideas, works of art, or new things.
その経験が新しい発明を生み出した。
That experience gave birth to a new invention.
Can also be used figuratively, but 生み出す is more common for emphasizing the creation process.
その議論が新たな問題を生んだ。
The discussion gave birth to new problems.
Expressions for 'to be born', which is the passive counterpart of 'give birth to'.
The standard verb for 'to be born'. Used for people and animals.
私は東京で生まれた。
I was born in Tokyo.
産む (umu) specifically refers to the act of giving birth, focusing on the mother. 生む (umu) can also mean 'to give birth' but is broader, including 'to produce' or 'to yield'. 生まれる (umareru) is the intransitive verb meaning 'to be born', from the child's perspective.
彼女は赤ちゃんを産んだ。
She gave birth to a baby.
その計画が利益を生んだ。
The plan yielded a profit.
赤ちゃんが生まれた。
A baby was born.
While 生む can be used figuratively, directly translating 'give birth to an idea' as アイデアを産む sounds unnatural. Use 生み出す or 生む in appropriate contexts, or rephrase with 考案する (to devise) or 作り出す (to create).