1.
neuralgia; nerve pain
Sharp, often shooting pain that runs along the course of a nerve, typically triggered by cold weather, pressure, or nerve damage. A common complaint associated with aging, and often discussed in everyday conversation about aches and pains.
神経痛がひどい。
My neuralgia is bad.
寒くなると神経痛が出る。
When it gets cold, I get neuralgia.
祖父は長年腰の神経痛に悩まされている。
My grandfather has suffered from neuralgia in his lower back for many years.
Compound of 神経 ('nerve') and 痛 ('pain'). Refers specifically to pain radiating along a nerve pathway, as distinct from muscle pain or joint pain. In casual speech, older speakers often use 神経痛 to describe any persistent, weather-sensitive pain, even when the medical diagnosis is something else.
USAGE:
- Commonly paired with body-part modifiers: 坐骨神経痛 (sciatica), 肋間神経痛 (intercostal neuralgia), 三叉神経痛 (trigeminal neuralgia).
- Often described as appearing in cold weather or on rainy days; the folk association with weather is strong enough that people joke about using their neuralgia as a weather forecast.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 神経痛がする: to have neuralgic pain
- 神経痛が出る: neuralgia flares up
- 神経痛に悩まされる: to suffer from neuralgia
- 神経痛を和らげる: to ease neuralgia
- 坐骨神経痛: sciatica
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 頭痛: headache — pain in the head specifically.
- 腰痛: lower back pain — a more general term that does not specify nerve involvement.
- 筋肉痛: muscle pain; soreness — typically from exercise, unrelated to nerves.
- 関節痛: joint pain — pain in the joints rather than along a nerve.