noun
epilepsy; epileptic fit
Medical term for epilepsy or an epileptic seizure. Commonly used in both clinical and everyday contexts.
彼はてんかんの発作を起こした。
He had an epileptic seizure.
てんかんの治療には薬が使われる。
Medication is used to treat epilepsy.
発作 is a general term for a sudden attack or fit (e.g., asthma attack, heart attack), while てんかん specifically refers to epilepsy or an epileptic seizure.
The kanji 癲 (ten) means 'insanity' or 'convulsions', and 癇 (kan) means 'irritability' or 'nervousness'. Together they form a medical term for epilepsy. The word is a Sino-Japanese compound (kango).