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植物人間 (しょくぶつにんげん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
human vegetable ; person in a vegetative state
sensitive
Sensitive term for a person in a persistent vegetative state. Often used in medical or caregiving contexts, but can be considered blunt or dehumanizing; use with care.
植しょく 物ぶつ 人にん 間げん と 診しん 断だん さ れ た 患かん 者じゃ の 家か 族ぞく は 、 長なが い 介かい 護ご に 直ちょく 面めん する 。
Families of patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state face long-term care.
Similar words 遷せん 延えん 性せい 意い 識しき 障しょう 害がい A more clinical term for a persistent disorder of consciousness, often preferred in formal medical contexts over 植物人間, which can sound colloquial or insensitive.
脳のう 死し Brain death; a legally and medically distinct condition from a vegetative state. 脳死 involves irreversible loss of all brain function, while 植物人間 retains some brainstem activity.
Etymology Compound of 植物 (plant) and 人間 (human), literally 'plant human'. The term emerged in the latter half of the 20th century as a colloquial description of a person in a vegetative state, drawing an analogy to a plant that is alive but lacks conscious interaction.
