看護（かんご、kango）
- nursing

The Japanese word 看護 means "nursing" or "caregiving," particularly in a medical context. It encompasses the act of providing care and support to individuals who are sick, injured, or otherwise in need of medical attention. This includes a wide range of activities, from administering medications and monitoring vital signs to assisting with daily living tasks and offering emotional support. 看護 is a broad term that refers to the professional practice of nurses and other healthcare providers who are dedicated to the well-being of their patients. It’s also often used more broadly to refer to the care provided by family members or other caregivers.

⚫︎ 看護師 Translation: Nurse ⚫︎ 看護学校 Translation: Nursing school ⚫︎ 患者の看護 Translation: Patient care

You would use 看護 when talking about nursing, healthcare, or caring for someone who is ill or injured. It’s a formal term often used in medical settings and professional contexts. It can be used to describe the profession of nursing, the act of providing care, or the overall concept of healthcare. The word is generally not used in casual conversation unless you're talking about someone's professional role or a specific medical situation.

看護 is written in kanji, with the reading かんご in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word, and the okurigana (suffix hiragana) is fixed.

⚫︎ 介護 (かいご) - Care, nursing (more broadly for elderly or disabled) ⚫︎ 手当て (てあて) - Treatment, care (can also mean compensation) ⚫︎ 世話 (せわ) - Care, looking after (more general)

While there isn't a direct antonym, words or phrases that relate to the opposite of care could include: ⚫︎ 放置 (ほうち) - Abandonment, neglect ⚫︎ 無視 (むし) - Ignoring, disregard

彼は看護師として病院で働いています。 ・Translation: He works as a nurse at the hospital. ・Explanation: This sentence directly uses 看護 to describe the profession of a nurse.

病気の母親の看護は大変です。 ・Translation: Caring for a sick mother is difficult. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 看護 to refer to the act of providing care for someone who is ill.

The word 看護 is a compound word. The first character 看 (kan) means "to watch," "to look after," or "to care for." The second character 護 (go) means "to protect," "to guard," or "to defend." Therefore, the combination of these two characters creates a meaning closely aligned to the concept of caring for and protecting someone's health, which is the essence of nursing.