Translation guide
A sudden, involuntary muscle contraction or a sudden burst of activity/emotion.
A sudden, painful, involuntary contraction of a muscle.
General medical term for a spasm, convulsion, or cramp. Can refer to both muscle spasms and seizures.
My leg cramped up.
I got a cramp in my calf while exercising.
Common, everyday word for a muscle cramp, especially in the legs or feet. Often used as 足がつる.
I've got a cramp in my leg!
Sometimes I get leg cramps while sleeping.
A cramp or spasm, often with a nuance of twitching or being pulled tight. Can also describe a facial twitch.
The muscles in my face are twitching.
Technical/medical term for a muscle spasm. Less common in everyday speech.
I'm researching treatments for muscle spasms.
A sudden, brief, and intense outburst of an activity, emotion, or phenomenon.
A sudden attack or fit, used for medical conditions (e.g., coughing fit, asthma attack) or emotional outbursts.
I can't stop this coughing spasm.
I suppress a spasm of anger.
A sudden, violent outburst, often used for emotions or conflicts. Slightly more literary.
A general pattern to describe something happening suddenly, like a spasm of activity. Replace 〜 with the noun.
A spasm of laughter erupted.
A small, involuntary, repetitive movement of a muscle, often in the face or eyelid.
Onomatopoeic word for a twitching or flickering movement. Very common for eyelid or muscle twitches.
My eyelid is twitching.
Can also be used for minor twitches, though it often implies a stronger spasm.
Borrowed from English 'tic', used in medical contexts for tic disorders. Less common in casual speech.
痙攣 is a broader term covering spasms, convulsions, and cramps. 攣り specifically refers to a muscle cramp, often in the calf or foot, and is more common in everyday conversation for that specific sensation.
In English, 'spasm' can describe a sudden burst of emotion (e.g., 'a spasm of anger'). In Japanese, 発作 (ほっさ) is the closest equivalent, but it may sound medical. For natural expression, consider rephrasing with adverbs like 突然 (とつぜん, suddenly) or 急に (きゅうに, abruptly).
感情の激発を経験する。
I experience a spasm of emotion.
目の周りの筋肉が痙攣している。
The muscles around my eye are spasming.
I'm showing symptoms of a tic disorder.