Translation guide
How to express that someone experiences or is afflicted by something negative, such as an illness, condition, or hardship.
To say someone has or is afflicted by a disease, disorder, or chronic condition.
Used for serious or chronic illnesses. Often used in written or formal contexts.
彼は癌を患っている。
He suffers from cancer.
Used for contracting an illness, often acute or infectious. Can be used in past tense to describe current suffering.
彼女はインフルエンザに罹っている。
She is suffering from the flu.
Emphasizes the pain or distress caused by the illness. More emotional.
彼は長年、腰痛に苦しんでいる。
He has been suffering from back pain for years.
Literally 'to carry/hold', used for ongoing conditions or problems, including mental health issues.
彼女は深刻なアレルギーを抱えている。
She suffers from severe allergies.
To express suffering from psychological issues like depression, anxiety, or trauma.
Common for ongoing worries or mental struggles. Implies being troubled by something.
彼はうつ病に悩んでいる。
He suffers from depression.
Stronger than 悩む, emphasizes anguish or torment.
彼女はPTSDに苦しんでいる。
She suffers from PTSD.
Used for long-term mental health conditions or emotional burdens.
多くの人が不安障害を抱えている。
Many people suffer from anxiety disorders.
To describe suffering from poverty, discrimination, consequences, etc.
General pattern for suffering from abstract hardships.
その国は貧困に苦しんでいる。
The country suffers from poverty.
Passive form of 悩む, often used for being plagued by persistent problems.
その地域は洪水に悩まされている。
The area suffers from floods.
Used for suffering negative effects or damage.
彼は差別を受けている。
He suffers from discrimination.
To say someone experiences negative effects from medication, treatment, or a condition.
Common for persistent side effects or symptoms.
彼は薬の副作用に悩まされている。
He suffers from side effects of the medication.
Casual way to say symptoms appear. Not a direct translation of 'suffer from' but natural in context.
その患者はひどい吐き気が出ている。
The patient suffers from severe nausea.
The English phrase 'suffer from' is often not directly translated. Japanese prefers specific verbs or patterns depending on the type of suffering. Using a generic equivalent like 苦しむ for everything can sound unnatural.
患う (wazurau) is used for serious, often chronic illnesses, while 罹る (kakaru) is for contracting infectious diseases or acute conditions. 罹る is more common in everyday speech for colds, flu, etc.
彼は高血圧を患っている。
He suffers from high blood pressure.
多くの高齢者が孤独に悩んでいる。
Many elderly people suffer from loneliness.