Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 療法 | ryōhō | [ɾʲo̞ːho̞ː] (narrow) |
| 治療 | chiryō | [t͡ɕiɾʲo̞ː] (narrow) |
| 治癒 | chiyu | [t͡ɕijɯ̟] (narrow) |
The term 'therapy' refers to the treatment of a disease. Depending on the context, Japanese speakers choose between words that describe the medical act of treating a patient or the specific methods and regimens used to achieve healing.
What does it mean word for word?
The form 療法 is composed of 療 (medical treatment) and 法 (method/way), meaning 'method or way of treatment'. The form 治療 is composed of 治 (to cure/govern) and 療 (medical treatment), meaning 'treatment or cure'.
Which one should you use?
治療 is the most common term for medical treatment and refers to the general act of a doctor treating a patient or providing medical care. In contrast, 療法 is used to describe a specific method, system or regimen of treatment, such as a 'diet therapy'.
How do you pronounce it?
ryōhō
Did you know?
- While 治療 refers to the medical act, Japanese uses different terms for 'therapy' in a mental health context, often using the loanword セラピー (serapī) to avoid the clinical stigma of medical words.
- While 治療 is used for the act of a doctor treating you, the word 治 also means 'to govern' or 'to rule' a country. It implies that a doctor 'governs' or brings order to a chaotic or diseased body.
- The character 法 in 療法 also means 'law' or 'Buddhist dharma', implying that a therapy is a set of rules or a universal truth for healing.
Examples in context
- その治療は痛いんですか？Will the therapy cause me any pain?This sentence is useful for asking about the pain associated with the 治療.Tatoeba #11344288 by bunbuku, translation #43459 by CK
- 難しい食事療法から、下痢の世話まで、二十四時間介護の日々が続いた。From complicated diet therapy to the care of diarrhea, the daily 24-hour nursing care continued.This sentence uses 療法 to describe a specific dietary regimen within a nursing context.Tatoeba #11013309 by bunbuku, translation #11397457 by pip
- 転換療法は拷問です。Conversion therapy is torture.This sentence uses 療法 to refer to a specific type of therapy.Tatoeba #13835327 by rul, translation #11470705 by shekitten
- 物理療法は怪我の治療に役立ちます。Physical therapy is beneficial for injury treatment.
- 言語療法は子供の言語発達に役立ちます。Speech therapy is beneficial for children's language development.
- 最近、テラピーを受けているんだ。I'm currently undergoing therapy.
- 足のマッサージはリラックスに役立つトリートメントだ。Foot massage is a relaxing treatment.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are discussing medical options at a clinic.
- 大翔 Hirotoどんな療法がいいと思いますか？Donna ryōhō ga ii to omoimasu ka?What kind of therapy do you think is best?
- 陽葵 Himari最新の療法を試しましょう。Saishin no ryōhō o tameshimashō.Let's try the latest therapy.
- 大翔 Hirotoその療法は安全ですか？Sono ryōhō wa anzen desu ka?Is that therapy safe?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、とても安全な療法ですよ。Hai, totemo anzen na ryōhō desu yo.Yes, it is a very safe therapy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “therapy” translations and entries 療法, 治療, 治癒, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
