肺炎(はいえん)

はいえん
noun
pneumonia
1. pneumonia; lung inflammation
an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs, which may fill with fluid
肺炎(はいえん)で入院(にゅういん)した。
I was hospitalized with pneumonia.
風邪(かぜ)をこじらせて肺炎(はいえん)になった。
A cold developed into pneumonia.
高齢者(こうれいしゃ)は肺炎(はいえん)に気(き)をつけなければならない。
Elderly people need to be careful of pneumonia.

肺炎(はいえん) is the general term for pneumonia — an infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs.

WORD FORMATION:
肺(はい) (lung) + 炎(えん) (inflammation). The ～炎(えん) suffix is used for many inflammatory conditions: 胃炎(いえん) (gastritis), 関節炎(かんせつえん) (arthritis), 気管支炎(きかんしえん) (bronchitis).

TYPES:

  • 細菌性(さいきんせい)肺炎(はいえん): bacterial pneumonia
  • ウイルス性(せい)肺炎(はいえん): viral pneumonia
  • 誤嚥性(ごえんせい)肺炎(はいえん): aspiration pneumonia
  • 間質性(かんしつせい)肺炎(はいえん): interstitial pneumonia

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 肺炎(はいえん)にかかる: to catch pneumonia
  • 肺炎(はいえん)で入院(にゅういん)する: to be hospitalized with pneumonia
  • 肺炎(はいえん)ワクチン: pneumonia vaccine
  • 肺炎球菌(はいえんきゅうきん): pneumococcus

NOTE:
肺炎(はいえん) is one of the leading causes of death among elderly people in Japan. 誤嚥性(ごえんせい)肺炎(はいえん) (aspiration pneumonia) is especially common in the elderly.

general
Added 2026.1.27 9:58 · Revised 2026.4.4 21:31
08000/08443_haien