Translation guide
The English word "bipolar" has two main uses: describing a mental health condition and describing something with two extremes or poles. This guide focuses on the mental health meaning, which is the most common and important for learners.
Referring to bipolar disorder, a mental health condition characterized by extreme mood swings.
She has bipolar disorder. · He was diagnosed as bipolar. · Bipolar can be managed with medication.
Describing something that has two opposite or extreme aspects, not necessarily related to mental health.
The weather here is bipolar—hot during the day and freezing at night. · His personality is bipolar; he's either super happy or really angry.
An adjective meaning "having two extremes." Used for opinions, personalities, etc.
彼の意見は両極端だ。
His opinions are bipolar (extreme opposites).
When referring to the mental health condition, do not use 両極端 or other general terms for "two extremes." Use 双極性障害 or 躁うつ病. Using the wrong term can cause confusion or sound insensitive.
In English, "bipolar" is sometimes used casually to describe unpredictable things (e.g., "bipolar weather"). In Japanese, this casual use is less common. It's safer to use 両極端 or 二極化した for non-medical contexts, and reserve 双極性障害 for the clinical condition.
This is the standard medical term for bipolar disorder. It is widely understood and used in formal and clinical contexts.
彼は双極性障害と診断された。
He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
An older term for bipolar disorder, literally "manic-depressive illness." Still used but being replaced by 双極性障害 in modern contexts.
躁うつ病の症状には気分の波があります。
Symptoms of bipolar disorder include mood swings.
A direct loanword from English, sometimes used in casual conversation or by younger people, but not standard. May not be understood by everyone.
This is not a clinical term and may sound flippant. Use with care.
バイポーラーの人って、どんな感じ？
What are people with bipolar like?
Means "polarized" or "divided into two extremes." Often used for societies, opinions, or trends.
社会が二極化している。
Society is becoming bipolar (polarized).
A pattern meaning "the two extremes of A and B." Useful for explicitly naming the poles.
愛と憎しみの両極端
the bipolar extremes of love and hate