# 症候 vs. 症状



## Gavril

Hello,

According to Google Translate, 症候学 （しょうこうがく) means "symptomatology" in Japanese, and 症候 is accordingly translated “symptom”. But, when I try to translate “symptom” in the opposite direction (from English to Japanese) using the same tool, it gives 症状  (しょうじょう) .

What is the semantic difference between症候 and 症状? Which would be the better translation of “symptom”, in the sense of



> 1.
> any phenomenon or circumstance accompanying something and serving as evidence of it.
> 
> *2.*
> a sign or indication of something.
> 
> *3.*
> _Pathology_ . a phenomenon that arises from and accompanies a particular disease or disorder and serves as an indication of it.


 
(dictionary.com)

Thanks for any help


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## ZXR

Hello

I don't know which word is used by medical experts.
I suppose non-experts are familiar with 症状.


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## rei429

Hi,I'm not a medical experts too.

but I recommend this dictionary.
症候
症状
and Wikipedia

症状 is physical disease.
and 症候 is sign indicated by 症状


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## Flaminius

Hi,

Here is another non-expert.    Luckily I was able to locate a definition by experts:


> 患者さんの感覚によって自覚したものを症状symptomといい、患者さんが自覚していない他覚的な異常を徴候signという。両者を合わせて症状あるいは症候ともいう。


In the broader sense, 症状 and 症候 are synonymous.  In the narrower sense, 症状 is a subjective feature of a disease, for which 症候 cannot be used.


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## Hiro Sasaki

We would say  症候群　but we would say 症状群。
 症状 is a sign of illness, such as fever, coughing . and colloquial.
症候 may be detected by medical doctors.


Hiro Sasaki


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## Schokolade

Hiro Sasaki said:


> We would say  症候群　but we would say 症状群。


Probably you meant to say we'd say 症候群 but NOT 症状群...

Edit: @Hiro, nvm, what I stated here was quite beside the point and irrelevant, sorry i don't mean to start an argument here so just forget it.


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## Hiro Sasaki

quite another thing, what thing ??

I think that 症状 is a sign or are signs of one desease,
症候 can be signs of two deseases o more. 
症候群 is a group of signs of some plural deseases, from one cause


Hiro Sasaki


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## Gavril

Hiro Sasaki said:


> We would say  症候群　but we would say 症状群。
> 症状 is a sign of illness, such as fever, coughing . and colloquial.
> 症候 may be detected by medical doctors.
> 
> 
> Hiro Sasaki



Thanks (to you and others) for the explanations. One other question: how would you interpret the sign 候 in the context of 症候? I've seen it translated as "wait", but I'm not sure that this is the proper reading in this context.


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## Hiro Sasaki

候 can have a meaming with another kanji for us.


Hiro Sasaki


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## mikun

Well,
As Flaminius　さん　pointed out, We use 症状　for the translation of 'symptoms' , means patient ill feeling.
We use 徴候 for the translation of 'signs' means diagnostic situation.
We use 症候 for the term of 　’症状’　＋　’徴候’.
We use 症候群 for the translation of 'syndroms' means diseases which have specific 'symptoms' and 'signs'.


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## Hiro Sasaki

’徴候’. are beging signs of desease, not serious yet.


Hiro Sasaki


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## Flaminius

Gavril said:


> One other question: how would you interpret the sign 候 in the context of 症候?


It here means sign, a sign of illness.  The original meaning of 候 is scout but it has a lot of derived meanings.



Hiro Sasaki said:


> ’徴候’. are beging signs of desease, not serious yet.


The tricky thing about this word is that it is both a general noun and a technical term.  As a general noun, it means a sign of a change.  I brought this word up, however, as a technical term in medicine.  In that expertise, the word has a very specific definition; signs of a disease as observed by the patient, the doctor or both.


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## Hiro Sasaki

斥候（　せっこう）　is a scout.


Hiro Sasaki


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