With the aging population, the number of dementia patients is increasing.
Nowadays the term 認知症 is used instead of 痴呆.
stupidity; foolishness; fool; idiot
Derogatory term for stupidity or a foolish person. Strongly pejorative; used as an insult. Less common in modern polite conversation.
Are you an idiot to do something like that?
My grandmother developed dementia in her old age.
Every time he failed, he was called an idiot.
If left untreated, the dementia may progress further.
馬鹿 is the common, everyday word for a fool or idiot, while 痴呆 (in its insult sense) is a harsher, more clinical-sounding put-down.
白痴 is an older, equally derogatory term for a mentally deficient person, overlapping closely with 痴呆's insult sense but sounding even more archaic.
阿呆 is a milder, more casual insult for a fool than 痴呆, which carries a stronger, clinical-sounding sting.
Standard kanji form, though the term is now considered sensitive and is being replaced by 認知症 in medical and public contexts.
Search-only form using ほう for the second character.
Composed of 痴 (foolish, stupid) and 呆 (amazed, stunned). The combination originally referred to mental dullness or senility. The medical sense 'dementia' developed later, but the term has become stigmatized.