腎臓
jinzō[d͡ʑĩnd͡zo̞ː]
The Japanese word for kidney is 腎臓 (jinzō).
腎臓 is used to refer to the organ in the body.
Meaning: an organ in the body (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the kanji for 'kidney' (腎) and 'organ' (臓).
How do you pronounce it?
jinzō
Did you know?
- In traditional East Asian medicine, the 腎 (kidney) was believed to be the seat of vitality and the source of the body's innate energy, rather than just a filter for blood.
- If a Japanese doctor speaks about a 'kidney transplant', they use the word 移植, which is a term shared with the concept of 'transplanting' plants.
- Japanese cuisine rarely features kidney as a primary ingredient, whereas organs like レバー (liver) or ハツ (heart) are common in yakitori.
Examples in context
- 彼女は腎臓の問題を抱えていますShe has kidney problems
- 腎臓は重要な臓器です。jinzou wa juuyou na zouki desu.The kidney is an important organ.
- 腎臓の働きが悪いです。jinzou no hataraki ga warui desu.The kidney function is poor.
- 腎臓に異常が見つかりました。jinzou ni ijou ga mitsukarimashita.An abnormality was found in the kidney.
Example conversation
A man is talking to a woman about his health checkup results.
- 健太 Kenta検査の結果、腎臓が少し悪いそうです。kensa no kekka, jinzou ga sukoshi warui sou desu.According to the test results, my kidney is a bit bad.
- 陽葵 Himari大丈夫ですか?とても心配です。daijoubu desu ka? totemo shinpai desu.Are you okay? I am very worried.
- 健太 Kenta薬を飲めば大丈夫だと言われました。kusuri o nomeba daijoubu da to iwaremashita.I was told I'll be fine if I take medicine.
- 陽葵 Himari無理をしてはいけませんよ。muri o shite wa ikemasen yo.You must not overwork yourself.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kidney” translations and entries 腎臓, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.