通院（つういん、tsuuin）
- visiting a hospital

The Japanese word 通院 通院 means "to visit a hospital" or "to go to the hospital/clinic" for medical treatment or check-ups. It implies a regular or scheduled visit, rather than a one-time emergency visit. The word emphasizes the action of going to the medical facility for care.

⚫︎毎週、病院に通院しています。 Translation: I go to the hospital every week. ⚫︎定期的に歯科医院に通院する必要があります。 Translation: I need to go to the dentist regularly. ⚫︎風邪をひいて、内科に通院しました。 Translation: I went to the internal medicine clinic because I caught a cold.

⚫︎You would use 通院 when talking about visiting a hospital or clinic for treatment or check-ups. ⚫︎It’s a common word used when discussing medical appointments. ⚫︎It’s suitable for both formal and informal contexts.

⚫︎The word is typically written in kanji as 通院, with the reading つういん in hiragana. ⚫︎There is no other way to write this word. ⚫︎The okurigana (送りがな) is consistent.

⚫︎受診 (じゅしん): to receive medical examination/treatment (broader sense, can also mean visiting a doctor) ⚫︎診察 (しんさつ): medical examination/consultation (focuses on the doctor's examination)

There aren't direct antonyms, but words related to staying home and not visiting the hospital could be considered opposites in a sense. For example: ⚫︎入院 (にゅういん): to be hospitalized (opposite of being an outpatient)

彼は、膝の手術後、リハビリのために毎週通院しています。 ・Translation: He goes to the hospital every week for rehabilitation after his knee surgery. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the regular and scheduled nature of 通院.

祖母は、糖尿病の治療で月二回通院しています。 ・Translation: My grandmother goes to the hospital twice a month for diabetes treatment. ・Explanation: This sentence highlights the frequency of 通院 for a specific medical condition.

The word 通院 is formed from: ⚫︎通 (つう): meaning "to go through," "to pass," or "to commute." ⚫︎院 (いん): meaning "hospital" or "institute." Therefore, 通院 literally means "to go to a hospital."