癌（がん、gan）
- cancer

The Japanese word 癌 (がん) means "cancer." It refers to a serious disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body. The word 癌 encompasses various types of cancer, each affecting different organs or tissues.

⚫︎胃癌 Translation: Stomach cancer ⚫︎肺癌 Translation: Lung cancer ⚫︎乳癌 Translation: Breast cancer

This word is used in formal and informal contexts to discuss cancer, its diagnosis, and treatment. You would use it when talking about the illness itself, medical conditions, or related topics. You can also use it when discussing someone’s health condition.

癌 is typically written in kanji. The reading is がん in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is not applicable in this case.

There are no direct synonyms for 癌. However, words related to cancer or medical conditions involving cancer could be considered as related words, such as: ⚫︎悪性腫瘍 (あくせいしゅよう) - Malignant tumor ⚫︎腫瘍 (しゅよう) - Tumor ⚫︎病気 (びょうき) - Sickness/disease

There are no direct antonyms for 癌. The absence of the disease could be expressed through words that imply health.

彼は肺癌と診断された。 ・Translation: He was diagnosed with lung cancer. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a medical diagnosis.

癌の治療法は色々ある。 ・Translation: There are various treatments for cancer. ・Explanation: This sentence discusses treatments for cancer in general.

The kanji 癌 is composed of two parts: 病 (byō), which means "disease," and 岩 (iwa), which means "rock." The combination might reflect the hard and persistent nature of the disease, like a rock that is difficult to remove. The word originated in China and was adopted into the Japanese language.