Japanese Medical Vocabulary: Essential Words for Clinics, Pharmacies, and Emergencies

If you need medical help in Japan, the most useful Japanese words are 病院 /bʲoː.iɴ/ for hospital, 痛い /i.ta.i/ for painful, 薬 /kɯ.sɯ.ɾi/ for medicine, and 助けてください /ta.sɯ.ke.te kɯ.da.sa.i/ for please help me. Learn these alongside a few symptom phrases and polite requests, and you can explain a problem much more clearly at a clinic, pharmacy, or emergency desk.

Japanese has about 123 million first-language speakers, according to Ethnologue. Most live in Japan, a country with 47 prefectures and a health system whose clinic routines may feel unfamiliar to visitors. Japan welcomed about 36.9 million international visitors in 2024, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, so multilingual medical support is increasingly visible in major cities, airports, and tourist destinations.

For general greetings before you need them, review how to say hello in Japanese. In a medical setting, a polite greeting and a short, direct description of your symptoms are far more useful than complicated grammar.

The essential Japanese medical words

Medical Japanese can look intimidating because many technical terms use kanji. You do not need to read every character perfectly to get help. Showing staff a written phrase on your phone, pointing to a body part, and stating whether pain is severe are all practical strategies.

The National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics documents the importance of register in Japanese communication. In healthcare, polite forms reduce ambiguity and signal respect, but staff do not expect visitors to speak flawless Japanese.

病院

病院 /bʲoː.iɴ/ means hospital. The word has three moraic timing units after the initial syllable pattern, so do not compress it into one quick sound. Say it as /bʲoː.iɴ/, with a long /oː/ sound.

Use 病院 /bʲoː.iɴ/ when you need a hospital, need specialist treatment, or are directed there by a clinic. For a routine cold, rash, or mild injury, a smaller clinic may be the first option.

医者

医者 /i.ɕa/ means doctor in everyday Japanese. You may also see 医師 /i.ɕi/, a more formal professional term used in hospital paperwork, insurance materials, and health information.

When speaking directly to a doctor, call them 先生 /seɴ.seː/, meaning teacher or doctor as a title. For example, 医者 /i.ɕa/ is the profession, while 先生 /seɴ.seː/ is a respectful way to address the person in front of you.

薬

薬 /kɯ.sɯ.ɾi/ means medicine. It covers prescription medication, tablets, cough medicine, pain relief, and many other treatments.

A pharmacy is 薬局 /jɑk.kʲo.kɯ/ or, in very common everyday pronunciation, /jɑk.kʲo.kɯ/. A drugstore is ドラッグストア /do.ɾaɡ.ɡɯ.sɯ.to.a/, where you may find over-the-counter products, cosmetics, and household goods as well as medicine.

痛い

痛い /i.ta.i/ means painful or it hurts. It is one of the most useful words to learn because you can combine it with a body part.

For example, お腹が痛い /o.na.ka ɡa i.ta.i/ means my stomach hurts. 頭が痛い /a.ta.ma ɡa i.ta.i/ means my head hurts.

Symptoms you can describe

At a clinic, staff may ask what is wrong using どうしましたか /doː ɕi.ma.ɕi.ta ka/, meaning what is the matter. A simple symptom sentence is enough: body part plus が /ɡa/ plus 痛い /i.ta.i/, or a short statement such as 熱があります /ne.tsɯ ɡa a.ɾi.ma.sɯ/.

頭痛

頭痛 /toː.tsɯː/ means headache. The long vowels matter: /toː/ and /tsɯː/ each occupy extended timing. You can say 頭痛があります /toː.tsɯː ɡa a.ɾi.ma.sɯ/, meaning I have a headache.

For pain level, use とても痛い /to.te.mo i.ta.i/ for very painful, or 少し痛い /sɯ.ko.ɕi i.ta.i/ for it hurts a little. If pain is sudden or severe, seek urgent medical support instead of relying only on vocabulary.

熱

熱 /ne.tsɯ/ often means fever in a health context. 熱があります /ne.tsɯ ɡa a.ɾi.ma.sɯ/ means I have a fever.

You may be asked about your temperature. 体温 /ta.i.oɴ/ means body temperature, and 何度ですか /naɴ.do de.sɯ ka/ asks how many degrees it is. Japanese thermometers use Celsius.

アレルギー

アレルギー /a.ɾe.ɾɯ.ɡiː/ means allergy. Tell medical staff about an allergy before receiving medication, food, injections, or treatment.

Say アレルギーがあります /a.ɾe.ɾɯ.ɡiː ɡa a.ɾi.ma.sɯ/, meaning I have an allergy. If you know the specific trigger, show it in writing as well, especially for drug allergies.

Phrases for a clinic or hospital

At many Japanese clinics, you first go to the 受付 /ɯ.ke.tsɯ.ke/, the reception desk. Staff may ask for identification, insurance details, a completed questionnaire, and a description of your symptoms.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare advises foreign patients to prepare clear information about their medication, allergies, and medical history. A translated medication list is particularly valuable because brand names can differ between countries.

具合が悪いです

具合が悪いです /ɡɯ.a.i ɡa wa.ɾɯ.i de.sɯ/ means I am not feeling well. It is a useful general phrase when you do not yet know the exact symptom.

This phrase is better than trying to diagnose yourself in Japanese. State what you feel, when it started, and whether it is getting worse, then let the clinician assess it.

診てもらいたいです

医者に診てもらいたいです /i.ɕa ni mi.te mo.ɾa.i.ta.i de.sɯ/ means I would like a doctor to examine me. The verb 診る /mi.ɾɯ/ is used for a medical examination, while 見る /mi.ɾɯ/ is the general verb to see or look.

Japanese grammar scholar Masayoshi Shibatani discusses how Japanese meaning is shaped by context as well as sentence structure. In a clinic, a short phrase plus gestures, a medication package, or a translation screen can provide the context that your grammar cannot.

Emergency vocabulary and calling 119

Japan uses 119 for ambulances and fire emergencies. The emergency service is called 救急車 /kʲɯː.kʲɯː.ɕa/, meaning ambulance. A police emergency uses 110, not 119.

Say 救急車をお願いします /kʲɯː.kʲɯː.ɕa o o.ne.ɡa.i.ɕi.ma.sɯ/ to request an ambulance. The operator will need your location, so keep your hotel name, address, nearest station, or map location available.

Useful emergency phrases include:

• 助けてください /ta.sɯ.ke.te kɯ.da.sa.i/: Please help me.
• 緊急です /kiɴ.kʲɯː de.sɯ/: This is an emergency.
• 息ができません /i.ki ɡa de.ki.ma.seɴ/: I cannot breathe.
• 意識がありません /i.ɕi.ki ɡa a.ɾi.ma.seɴ/: They are unconscious.
• 血が出ています /tɕi ɡa de.te i.ma.sɯ/: There is bleeding.
• 胸が痛いです /mɯ.ne ɡa i.ta.i de.sɯ/: My chest hurts.

At the pharmacy

After a clinic appointment, you may receive a prescription and be directed to a nearby 薬局 /jɑk.kʲo.kɯ/. Unlike systems where medicine is always dispensed at the clinic, Japanese outpatient prescriptions are often filled at a separate pharmacy.

処方箋 /ɕo.ho.seɴ/ means prescription. お薬手帳 /o.kɯ.sɯ.ɾi te.tɕoː/ is a medication record booklet that many residents bring to pharmacies. It helps pharmacists check current and past medicines.

Say この薬は何の薬ですか /ko.no kɯ.sɯ.ɾi wa naɴ no kɯ.sɯ.ɾi de.sɯ ka/, meaning what is this medicine for? To ask how to take it, say どうやって飲みますか /doː ja.tte no.mi.ma.sɯ ka/.

The Japan National Tourism Organization recommends using its medical institution search tools if you need language support. Do not assume every neighborhood clinic has English-speaking staff, even in large cities.

Body parts and medical directions

Knowing basic body parts makes your symptom sentences much easier. Combine the body part with が痛いです /ɡa i.ta.i de.sɯ/, meaning hurts.

• 頭 /a.ta.ma/: head
• 目 /me/: eye
• 耳 /mi.mi/: ear
• 喉 /no.do/: throat
• 胸 /mɯ.ne/: chest
• お腹 /o.na.ka/: stomach or abdomen
• 背中 /se.na.ka/: back
• 腕 /ɯ.de/: arm
• 足 /a.ɕi/: leg or foot

For a wider set of everyday body vocabulary, use the same practical pattern in real listening practice. Japanese TV scenes can be especially helpful because actors pair words with visible context. Our guide to learning Japanese with anime explains how to turn scenes into focused listening rather than passive watching.

Speak simply, politely, and safely

You do not need a long speech at a Japanese hospital. Start with すみません /sɯ.mi.ma.seɴ/, say what hurts, explain when it began, and mention allergies or medication.

Sachiko Ide’s work on Japanese politeness emphasizes that appropriate communication is not only about formal verb endings. In a healthcare setting, speaking calmly, using a polite request, and providing accurate details are all forms of practical consideration.

For example, this short sequence works well:

1. すみません /sɯ.mi.ma.seɴ/, excuse me.
2. 具合が悪いです /ɡɯ.a.i ɡa wa.ɾɯ.i de.sɯ/, I feel unwell.
3. お腹が痛いです /o.na.ka ɡa i.ta.i de.sɯ/, my stomach hurts.
4. 昨日からです /ki.noː ka.ɾa de.sɯ/, since yesterday.
5. アレルギーがあります /a.ɾe.ɾɯ.ɡiː ɡa a.ɾi.ma.sɯ/, I have an allergy.

That is clear, courteous, and medically useful. If you are leaving after an appointment, a simple ありがとうございました /a.ɾi.ɡa.toː ɡo.za.i.ma.ɕi.ta/ is appropriate. For more everyday farewells outside the clinic, see how to say goodbye in Japanese.

Medical vocabulary is most effective when practiced in realistic context. Watch a short scene, pause when a character describes pain or visits a clinic, repeat the line, and make your own symptom sentence. Then use Japanese travel phrases to build the wider practical vocabulary that helps you manage daily life with confidence.