難聴
Meanings
hearing loss; hardness of hearing; deafness
Medical and everyday term for reduced ability to hear, ranging from mild hearing difficulty to deafness. Often used with causes such as 加齢による難聴 or with terms like 補聴器.
He uses a hearing aid because of age-related hearing loss.
Early detection is important for hearing loss in children.
poor reception; area with poor reception
Non-medical use for poor radio, TV, or similar signal reception, especially in compounds such as 難聴地域. This is more specialized than the medical sense.
This mountainous area has poor FM radio reception.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉が難聴になるfor someone to develop hearing loss
My grandfather developed hearing loss as he got older.
- 〈場所〉は難聴地域だan area has poor (broadcast) reception
This mountainous area has poor TV reception.
- 難聴を患うto suffer from hearing loss
He has suffered from hearing loss since he was a child.
- 〈事〉による難聴hearing loss caused by ~
Age-related hearing loss progresses gradually.