看護師（かんごし、kangoshi）
- nurse

The word 看護師, pronounced かんごし (kangoshi), means "nurse" or "registered nurse" in English. It refers to a healthcare professional who provides care for patients, including administering medications, assisting with medical procedures, and providing emotional support. The term encompasses a wide range of nursing specializations. ⚫︎ It is a formal term, and it is the most common and widely accepted word for nurse in Japan. ⚫︎ The word emphasizes the professional and caring role of nurses.

⚫︎ 彼女は立派な看護師です。 Translation: She is a wonderful nurse. ⚫︎ あの病院には多くの看護師がいます。 Translation: There are many nurses at that hospital.

⚫︎ Use 看護師 when referring to nurses in various contexts, such as hospitals, clinics, or healthcare settings. ⚫︎ It's suitable for both formal and informal conversations, but it is generally used in more formal settings. ⚫︎ When you're talking about someone's profession, this is the appropriate word to use.

⚫︎ The word is typically written in kanji 看護師. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is かんごし. ⚫︎ It is not typically written in katakana. ⚫︎ There are no variations in okurigana. ⚫︎ 看護師 is also sometimes abbreviated as 看護 or 看 in informal conversation, but this is less common and can be ambiguous.

There are no perfect synonyms. Related terms include: ⚫︎ 看護婦 (kangofu) - This term is outdated, and is used to mean "nurse". It is generally considered old-fashioned and is used less frequently today. ⚫︎ ナース (naasu) - This is a loanword from English "nurse". It's used in some contexts, but not as common as 看護師.

⚫︎ There is no direct antonym. ⚫︎ However, a word that describes a different healthcare role, such as 医者 (isha) "doctor", could be considered an antonym in the sense of a different profession.

私は将来、看護師になりたいです。 ・Translation: I want to become a nurse in the future. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses a personal aspiration or goal.

その看護師は患者に親切に接しました。 ・Translation: That nurse treated the patients kindly. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the nurse's behavior.

The word 看護師 is a compound word composed of: ⚫︎ 看護 (kango) - This means "nursing," "care," or "to look after". It originates from the combination of 看 (kan) which means "to watch, look after" and 護 (go) which means "to protect". ⚫︎ 師 (shi) - This is a suffix that indicates a professional or specialist. It is the same as the "shi" used in words like 教師 (kyoushi) "teacher" or 医師 (ishi) "doctor". Therefore, 看護師 literally translates to "nursing professional" or "care professional".