徘徊(はいかい)

はいかい
noun
wandering; roaming
movementhealth
1. wandering; roaming; loitering
Walking around aimlessly without a clear purpose or destination. Often used in medical contexts for dementia-related wandering.
夜(よる)の街(まち)を徘徊(はいかい)する。
To roam the streets at night.
認知症(にんちしょう)の祖父(そふ)が徘徊(はいかい)して行方不明(ゆくえふめい)になった。
My grandfather with dementia wandered off and went missing.
不審者(ふしんしゃ)が学校(がっこう)の周辺(しゅうへん)を徘徊(はいかい)しているとの報告(ほうこく)があった。
There was a report of a suspicious person loitering around the school.

徘徊(はいかい) implies aimless wandering.

Usage

  • Medical/caregiving: wandering by dementia patients
  • Security: suspicious loitering
  • Literary: aimless roaming

Common collocations

Note on usage

In medical/caregiving contexts, there's increasing awareness that 徘徊(はいかい) can sound stigmatizing. Some prefer alternative terms like 一人歩(ひとりある)き (walking alone) for dementia-related wandering.

Related Words

Related: 散歩(さんぽ) (walk, stroll)
Compare: 散歩(さんぽ)する (to take a walk)
general
Added 2026.1.31 8:05 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
09000/09037_haikai