Translation guide
The English word 'stutter' can refer to a speech disfluency or to the act of speaking with such disfluency. In Japanese, the most common way to express this is with the noun 吃音 (きつおん) for the condition, and the verb 吃る (どもる) for the action. There are also mimetic words and other expressions for different nuances.
Referring to the speech disorder characterized by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds.
The standard medical and formal term for stuttering as a speech disorder.
彼は吃音の治療を受けている。
He is receiving treatment for his stutter.
A more colloquial noun form of the verb 吃る (どもる), often used in everyday conversation.
子どものどもりは自然に治ることが多い。
Children's stuttering often resolves naturally.
A more clinical term explicitly meaning 'stuttering disorder', used in medical contexts.
吃音症の原因は完全には解明されていない。
The cause of stuttering disorder is not fully understood.
Describing the act of speaking with involuntary repetitions or blocks.
The most common verb meaning 'to stutter'. It can be used for both temporary and chronic stuttering.
緊張して、言葉がどもってしまった。
I got nervous and stuttered.
彼はいつも少しどもりながら話す。
He always speaks with a slight stutter.
Literally 'words get stuck', this phrase describes the blocking or halting sensation of stuttering. It can also be used for non-pathological hesitation.
人前で話すと、言葉がつかえてうまく話せない。
When I speak in public, I stutter and can't speak well.
A phrase meaning 'to speak while stuttering', often used to describe the manner of speaking.
彼はどもりながらも、自分の意見をしっかり伝えた。
Even while stuttering, he clearly conveyed his opinion.
Literally 'to bite', this verb is used colloquially to mean stumbling over words or misspeaking, similar to a slip of the tongue. It can overlap with stuttering in casual contexts but is not a clinical term.
This is more about tripping over words than a chronic stutter. Use 吃る for the speech disorder.
Onomatopoeic or mimetic words that imitate the sound or manner of stuttering.
A mimetic adverb that describes the hesitant, stuttering manner of speaking. Often used with 話す or 言う.
彼はどもどもと話し始めた。
He started speaking with a stutter.
An adjective meaning 'faltering' or 'halting', often used to describe speech that is not fluent, including stuttering or broken language.
彼のたどたどしい英語が逆に好印象を与えた。
His halting English actually made a good impression.
吃る (どもる) refers to a speech disfluency, often chronic, involving repetitions or blocks. 噛む (かむ) is more about stumbling over words or making a verbal slip, often due to nervousness or speaking too fast. While both can be translated as 'stutter' in some contexts, 吃る is the accurate term for the speech disorder.
While 吃音 is the correct medical term, in casual conversation, using the verb 吃る or phrases like 言葉がつかえる is more natural than saying 吃音がある. For example, 'I have a stutter' is more naturally expressed as 私はどもります (I stutter) or 私は吃音があります (more formal).
I stumbled over my words many times during the speech.