Translation guide
Expressing the act of vomiting in Japanese, from medical terms to casual slang.
To say that someone vomited or is vomiting in a neutral, everyday context.
The most common and neutral verb for 'to vomit'. Can be used in most situations.
Yesterday I ate too much and threw up.
気持ち悪くて吐きそう。
I feel sick and like I'm going to vomit.
A more formal or medical term for 'vomiting'. Often used in written or clinical contexts.
食中毒の症状として嘔吐した。
I vomited as a symptom of food poisoning.
A slightly euphemistic or softer way to say 'throw up'. Often used when talking about children or in polite conversation.
赤ちゃんがミルクを戻した。
The baby spit up milk.
気分が悪くて、さっき戻しちゃった。
I felt sick and threw up a little while ago.
To express vomiting in a very casual or slangy way among friends.
Slang for 'to vomit'. Can be used as a noun (ゲロ) or verb (ゲロする). Quite direct and informal.
飲みすぎてゲロした。
I drank too much and puked.
道にゲロが落ちてた。
There was puke on the street.
Literally 'to spit out' or 'to spew out', but can be used for forceful vomiting. Less common than 吐く.
腐ったものを食べて、全部吐き出した。
I ate something rotten and threw it all up.
To describe the sound or sensation of vomiting.
Onomatopoeia for the sound of retching or vomiting. Often used with 吐く.
トイレでげーげー吐いてた。
He was retching in the toilet.
Onomatopoeia for a single gag or retch. Often used when feeling nauseous.
おえっとなりそうなくらい臭い。
It stinks so bad it makes me want to gag.
To refer to vomiting in medical, clinical, or formal written contexts.
The formal noun for 'vomiting'. Used in medical documents, news, etc.
嘔吐と下痢の症状が出た。
Symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea appeared.
A formal/medical term for 'vomiting and diarrhea'. Rare in everyday speech.
吐瀉物の処理に注意する。
Be careful when handling vomit and excrement.
To refer to the substance that is vomited.
A natural way to say 'vomit' as a noun, literally 'the thing that was vomited'.
吐いたものを片付ける。
Clean up the vomit.
Formal/medical term for 'vomit' (the substance).
嘔吐物からウイルスが検出された。
The virus was detected in the vomit.
Slang for 'vomit' (the substance). Very casual.
床にゲロが広がってた。
There was puke all over the floor.
吐く is the most general and neutral. 戻す is softer and often used for babies or in polite contexts. 嘔吐する is formal/medical and sounds clinical in daily conversation.
ゲロ is slang and can sound crude. Avoid using it in formal settings or with people you don't know well.