Translation guide
The organ used for breathing. In Japanese, the most common word is 肺 (はい). This guide covers how to talk about lungs in medical, everyday, and figurative contexts.
肺
lung
Referring to the physical lungs in humans or animals.
The standard word for 'lung' in all contexts. Used in medical, everyday, and figurative language.
The lungs are organs located in the chest.
喫煙は肺に悪いです。
Smoking is bad for the lungs.
Discussing lung health, diseases, or medical procedures.
Used in compound medical terms. Combine with other kanji to specify conditions.
父は肺がんで入院しています。
My father is hospitalized with lung cancer.
肺炎の予防には手洗いが大切です。
Handwashing is important for preventing pneumonia.
Using 'lung' in expressions like 'lungs of the earth' or 'shout at the top of one's lungs'.
Used in some figurative expressions, often as part of a set phrase.
アマゾンは地球の肺と呼ばれています。
The Amazon is called the lungs of the Earth.
Means 'at the top of one's voice' or 'as loud as one can'. Not a direct translation of 'lung', but used in similar contexts.
彼は声を限りに叫んだ。
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
A literary expression meaning 'to cut to the heart' or 'to deeply move someone'. Literally 'to gouge the lungs'.
その言葉は肺腑をえぐるようだった。
Those words cut me to the quick.
The English word 'lung' is sometimes confused with 'heart' in figurative speech, but in Japanese, 肺 (はい) is strictly 'lung'. For 'heart' as an organ, use 心臓 (しんぞう); for emotional heart, use 心 (こころ).