Translation guide
The English word 'anamnesis' has two main uses: a medical term for a patient's medical history, and a philosophical/religious term for recollection or remembrance. This guide focuses on the medical sense, which is the most common need for learners.
To refer to a patient's medical history, especially the information gathered by a doctor through questioning.
Standard medical term for 'past medical history'. Used in clinical settings and medical records.
To refer to the concept of recollection or remembrance, especially in Platonic philosophy or Christian theology.
The English word 'anamnesis' is rare outside specialized fields. In Japanese, the medical sense is almost always expressed with 既往歴 or 問診, while the philosophical sense uses the loanword アナムネーシス or descriptive terms like 想起. Using the wrong term in the wrong context will cause confusion.
In everyday clinical conversation, doctors often use 問診 (medical interview) rather than the more formal 既往歴. For example, '問診をとる' means 'to take an anamnesis'.
既往歴を詳しく聞く必要があります。
We need to take a detailed anamnesis.
General term for 'medical history', slightly broader than 既往歴. Common in both spoken and written contexts.
患者の病歴を確認してください。
Please check the patient's anamnesis.
Refers to the medical interview or history-taking process itself. Often used when describing the act of gathering anamnesis.
問診で重要な情報が得られました。
Important information was obtained through anamnesis.
Specifically refers to past illnesses or conditions. More narrow than 既往歴, but sometimes used interchangeably in medical contexts.
既往症に糖尿病があります。
The anamnesis includes diabetes.
Direct loanword from Greek, used in academic or theological discussions of Platonic anamnesis or Eucharistic remembrance.
プラトンのアナムネーシス説について議論した。
We discussed Plato's theory of anamnesis.
General term for 'recollection' or 'remembrance'. Can be used in philosophical contexts but lacks the specific technical nuance of anamnesis.
想起説は知識の起源を説明する。
The theory of anamnesis explains the origin of knowledge.
Literally 'recovery of memory'. A descriptive phrase that can convey the idea of anamnesis in non-specialist contexts.
この儀式は記憶の回復を象徴している。
This ritual symbolizes anamnesis.