Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Get the Kotomora apps for iOS and Android.

Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides About Support Privacy

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

成人病 (seijinbyou) Japanese meaning: adult disease | Kotomora

成せい人じん病びょう

せ

い

じ

ん

びょ

う

Common word›Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

adult disease; lifestyle disease

dated termmedicine›

Dated medical term for diseases common in middle-aged and older adults, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Now often replaced by 生活習慣病 (lifestyle-related disease) in official contexts, but still understood.

See also: 生活習慣病

成せい人

じん

病びょう

の

予よ

防ぼう

に

は

、

定てい

期き

的てき

な

健けん

康こう

診しん

断だん

が

大たい

切せつ

です

。

Regular health checkups are important for preventing adult diseases.

かつて「成せい人じん病びょう」と呼よばれていた病びょう気きの多おおくは、今いまでは「生せい活かつ習しゅう慣かん病びょう」と言いわれています。

Many diseases once called 'adult diseases' are now referred to as 'lifestyle diseases'.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が成せい人じん病びょうにかかるfor someone to come down with an adult/lifestyle disease
父ちちは五ご十じゅう代だいで成せい人じん病びょうにかかった。
My father developed a lifestyle disease in his fifties.
成せい人じん病びょうを予よ防ぼうするto prevent adult/lifestyle diseases
運うん動どう不ぶ足そくを解かい消しょうして成せい人じん病びょうを予よ防ぼうする。
Get more exercise to prevent lifestyle diseases.

Kanji

成turn into, become, get
人person
病ill, sick

Related words

生せい活かつ習しゅう慣かん病びょう
成人病 is the older term tying these illnesses to age, while 生活習慣病 is the modern term that stresses lifestyle habits as the cause and is now preferred in official use.

Don't confuse with

成せい人じん式しきN3
成人病 (adult/lifestyle disease) and 成人式 (coming-of-age ceremony) share the kanji 成人 but refer to completely unrelated things, one medical and one ceremonial.

Built from

成せい人じん+病びょう

Etymology

Compound of 成人 (adult) and 病 (disease). The term gained prominence in the mid-20th century as life expectancy increased and chronic diseases became a public health focus.