Medical Japanese: Japanese Medical Terminology and Phrases Guide

Getting sick or injured while traveling in Japan can be stressful, especially if you don't speak the language. Even if you're living there long-term, medical situations require specific vocabulary you probably didn't learn in your beginner Japanese course. This guide covers the essential medical Japanese vocabulary and phrases you'll actually use in clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies across Japan.

Basic medical terminology you'll hear everywhere

Let's start with some fundamental terms you'll encounter in any healthcare setting in Japan.

Describing symptoms and common ailments

When you visit a doctor, you need to explain what's wrong. Here are the most common symptoms and how to describe them.

For specific pain-related terms: the pattern here is body part plus tsuu () for pain.

Netsu () means fever. If you have a fever, say "Netsu ga arimasu" (). Doctors will ask "Netsu wa arimasu ka?" (？) which means "Do you have a fever?"

Seki () is cough, kusyami (くしゃみ) is sneeze, and hanamizu () is runny nose. During cold and flu season, you'll hear these terms everywhere.

Hakike () means nausea, while geri () is diarrhea and benpi () is constipation. Yeah, not pleasant topics, but you need these words when you're sick.

Kizu () refers to a cut or wound, uchimi () is a bruise, and yakedo () means burn. For allergic reactions, use arerugi (アレルギー).

The doctor will often ask "Hoka ni shoujou wa arimasu ka?" (？) which means "Do you have any other symptoms?" The word shoujou () means symptom, and this is one of those questions you should recognize immediately.

Body parts and anatomy terms

You need to know body parts to explain where something hurts or what's bothering you.

Hospital departments and medical specialists

Japanese hospitals are usually well-organized by department. Knowing these terms helps you find the right specialist.

The reception desk is called uketsuke (), and you'll check in there first. They'll ask for your hokenshou (), which is your health insurance card.

Common diagnostic tests and medical procedures

Understanding what tests the doctor is ordering makes the whole experience less intimidating.

Pharmacy and medication instructions

After your appointment, you'll take your prescription to the pharmacy. Here's what you need to know.

Shohousen () is the prescription itself. Hand this to the pharmacist at the yakkyoku ().

The pharmacist will explain how to take your medication. Ichinichi ni sankai () means three times a day. Shokugo () means after meals, while shokuzen () means before meals. Shokukan () means between meals.

Ichijou () means one tablet or pill. So "Shokugo ni ichijou" () means "One tablet after meals."

Nuru () means to apply (For creams or ointments). Nurigusuri () is topical medicine.

Fukusayou () means side effects. The pharmacist might warn you about potential fukusayou by saying "Fukusayou ga deru kamo shiremasen" (), meaning "Side effects might occur."

Namae () is name, jusho () is address, and denwa-bangou () is phone number. You'll need to provide these when registering.

Emergency situations and urgent care

Hopefully you won't need these, but emergency phrases are critical to know.

"Tasukete!" (！) means "Help!" Dareka () means someone, so "Dareka tasukete!" (！) is "Someone help!"

"Isha wo yonde kudasai" () means "Please call a doctor."

Essential doctor-patient dialogue phrases

These conversational phrases will help you communicate during your appointment.

When you first sit down, the doctor will likely ask "Dou shimashita ka?" (どうしましたか？) which means "What's wrong?" or "What brings you in today?"

You can respond with "Onaka ga itai desu" () for "My stomach hurts" or whatever your issue is.

The doctor might ask "Itsu kara desu ka?" (いつからですか？) meaning "Since when?" or "When did this start?" You could answer "Kinou kara desu" () for "Since yesterday" or "Mikka mae kara desu" () for "Since three days ago."

"Undou shimasu ka?" (？) means "Do you exercise?" This comes up often in routine checkups. The word undou () means exercise or physical activity.

"Undou shite mo ii desu ka?" (？) means "Is it okay to exercise?" You might ask this if you're recovering from an injury or illness.

"Arerugi wa arimasu ka?" (アレルギーはありますか？) asks if you have any allergies. This is important for prescribing medication.

"Kusuri wo nonde imasu ka?" (？) means "Are you taking any medication?" The verb nomu () literally means to drink but is used for taking pills.

When the doctor gives instructions, you'll hear "Kore wo nonde kudasai" () meaning "Please take this medicine."

Cultural context for healthcare in Japan

The Japanese healthcare system works differently than what you might be used to. Most clinics and hospitals require you to fill out a monshin-hyou (), a medical questionnaire, before seeing the doctor.

Appointments are called yoyaku (). Some clinics take walk-ins, but many require yoyaku in advance. You can ask "Yoyaku ga hitsuyou desu ka?" (？) meaning "Is an appointment necessary?"

Payment happens after your visit. The phrase "Okaikei onegai shimasu" () means "Check please" or "I'd like to pay." Ryoushuusho () is the receipt, which you'll need for insurance reimbursement if you're a foreigner using travel insurance.

Japanese doctors tend to be more conservative with treatment compared to Western providers. They often prescribe smaller doses and prefer monitoring over aggressive intervention.

Many hospitals have kokusai-shinryou () or international clinics with English-speaking staff, particularly in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka. These are helpful but usually more expensive.

Practical tips for medical situations in Japan

Learning medical Japanese effectively

Medical vocabulary is specialized, so standard Japanese courses won't cover much of it. You need targeted study if you're planning to live in Japan or work in healthcare there.

Anyway, if you want to build your Japanese vocabulary for medical situations or any other topic, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words instantly while watching Japanese shows or reading articles online. You can save words directly to flashcard decks and learn them in context. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

Are you ready to learn specialized Japanese vocabulary?

Language learning is a marathon, not a sprint. Even if you want to jump ahead and learn specialized terms that can help with your career, you still need to know the grammar rules and other vocabulary to support your communication. View specialized learning as your final 100 meter in Japanese learning, and use media to help you get there!

But if you plan to go to Japan soon, basic medical terms always come in handy!