Translation guide
The delivery of more than one baby from a single pregnancy. In Japanese, the term depends on the number of babies born.
multiple birth
General term; for specific numbers use 双子 (twins), 三つ子 (triplets), etc.
The rate of multiple births is increasing year by year.
More clinical term, often used in medical contexts.
Multiple birth is considered high risk.
Describing the birth of twins, triplets, etc.
Referring to the state of being pregnant with more than one baby.
Multiple pregnancy. Used when the focus is on the pregnancy rather than the birth.
I was diagnosed with a multiple pregnancy.
Japanese has specific words for twins, triplets, quadruplets, and quintuplets. For higher-order multiples, the pattern continues with the native Japanese number + つ子 (e.g., 六つ子 for sextuplets), but these are extremely rare and often replaced by the medical term 多胎児 (たたいじ).
三つ子の育児は大変だ。
Raising triplets is tough.
五つ子の家族は珍しい。
Families with quintuplets are rare.