Translation guide
A mental health condition involving anxiety, obsessive thoughts, or emotional distress, often used in everyday English to describe excessive worry or quirky behavior. In Japanese, the clinical term is 神経症, but in casual contexts, people more often describe specific symptoms or use words like ノイローゼ.
Referring to the psychological condition in a formal or medical context.
Standard medical term for neurosis. Used in clinical settings.
彼は神経症と診断された。
He was diagnosed with neurosis.
Loanword from German 'Neurose', commonly used in everyday Japanese to mean neurosis or a nervous breakdown. Slightly less clinical than 神経症.
ストレスでノイローゼになりそうだ。
I feel like I'm getting a neurosis from stress.
Describing someone who is overly anxious, obsessive, or neurotic in everyday language.
Adjective meaning 'nervous', 'high-strung', or 'neurotic'. Describes a personality trait rather than a clinical condition.
彼女はとても神経質で、小さなことでも気にする。
She's very neurotic and worries about every little thing.
Noun/na-adjective meaning 'tendency to worry', 'worrier'. Often used to describe someone who is a worrywart.
うちの母は心配性で、いつも電話してくる。
My mom is a worrier; she calls me all the time.
Colloquial phrase meaning 'a bit neurotic' or 'on the verge of a nervous breakdown'. Used casually.
最近仕事が忙しくて、ノイローゼ気味だ。
I've been so busy with work lately, I'm feeling a bit neurotic.
Describing someone who is fixated on details, order, or rituals in a way that resembles obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
Means 'obsessed with a compulsive idea'. Closer to obsessive neurosis.
彼は清潔に対する強迫観念にとらわれている。
He has a neurotic obsession with cleanliness.
Means 'fixation' or 'particularity'. Can be positive (attention to detail) or negative (neurotic pickiness).
彼のこだわりはちょっと神経症じみている。
His fixation is a bit neurotic.
Directly saying 'neurosis' as 神経症 in casual conversation can sound overly clinical or dramatic. Use 神経質 or describe the specific behavior instead.
神経症 is the formal medical term, while ノイローゼ is a common loanword often used in everyday speech for nervous breakdowns or severe stress reactions. ノイローゼ can sound slightly dated or colloquial.