How do you say "nurse" in Japanese?

看護師

kangoshi

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "nurse" is 看護師 (kangoshi).

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Pronunciation

看護師 is written using kanji. Romanised as kangoshi, it sounds roughly like "kah-n-goh-shee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kangoshi (看護師) combines kan (observe/care), go (protect), and shi (expert). The shi (士) ending marks nursing as a licensed profession.

Example sentence

私の父は看護師です。

Watashi no chichi wa kangoshi desu.

My father is a nurse.

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How to remember 看護師

Kan means care and shi means expert. A kangoshi is an expert at caring for patients.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 看護師

How do you pronounce 看護師?

看護師 is romanised as kangoshi. Say it roughly like "kah-n-goh-shee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 看護師 formal or casual?

看護師 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 看護師 written in Japanese?

看護師 is written using kanji. Kangoshi (看護師) combines kan (observe/care), go (protect), and shi (expert).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Nurse" in other languages

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