異食症
Pica is translated into Japanese as 異食症.
The term 異食症 is a noun used to describe the medical disorder known as pica.
Meaning: disorder (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 異食症 is composed of the characters 異 (strange/different), 食 (eating) and 症 (syndrome/condition).
Did you know?
- While 異食症 is the clinical term, the phrase 異食 on its own is often used in veterinary medicine to describe pets eating non-food items.
- Japanese has a specific way of categorizing disorders using the 症 suffix, which differs from English where 'syndrome' or 'disorder' are separate words that precede the name of the condition.
- The character 異 in 異食症 is also used in the word 異常 meaning 'abnormal' or 'strange'. This creates a visual and linguistic link between the act of eating and a deviation from the norm.
Examples in context
- 彼は異物食の傾向があります。He has a tendency to eat foreign objects.
- 彼は異食症の疑いがあります。Kare wa ishokushou no utagai ga arimasu.He is suspected of having pica.
- 異食症は栄養不足が原因になることがあります。Ishokushou wa eiyou busoku ga gen'in ni naru koto ga arimasu.Pica can be caused by nutritional deficiencies.
- その症状は異食症かもしれません。Sono shoujou wa ishokushou kamoshiremasen.That symptom might be pica.
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are discussing a medical article.
- 結衣 Yuiこの記事は異食症について書いてあるよ。Kono kiji wa ishokushō ni tsuite kaite aru yo.This article is written about pica.
- 大翔 Hiroto異食症って、食べられないものを食べる病気だよね？Ishokushō tte, taberarenai mono o taberu byōki da yo ne?Pica is the disorder where people eat non-food items, right?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、その通りだよ。Un, sono tōri da yo.Yes, that's exactly right.
- 大翔 Hirotoなるほど、とても不思議な病気だね。Naruhodo, totemo fushigi na byōki da ne.I see, it's a very strange disorder.
