Life Japanese

Hospital Japanese: symptoms, insurance, pharmacy, allergies, and emergency phrases.

Medical Japanese can feel frightening because the stakes are real. Learn the phrases for clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, appointments, symptoms, pain, allergies, insurance cards, and emergencies before you need them.

Start hospital phrases Back to Life Japanese

This page is language education only, not medical advice. For symptoms, diagnosis, medicine, emergencies, or treatment, contact a qualified medical professional or emergency service.

Hospital rule: Simple, direct Japanese is better than silent confusion. Say the symptom first.

Start here

The safest hospital phrases

These phrases help at clinics, hospital reception desks, pharmacies, and emergency situations. Memorize the emergency phrases early.

I would like to see a doctor

診察を受けたいです。

Shinsatsu o uketai desu.

I would like to see a doctor / receive an examination.

Useful at a clinic or hospital reception desk.

I have an appointment

予約があります。

Yoyaku ga arimasu.

I have an appointment.

Say this at reception.

I want to make an appointment

予約をしたいです。

Yoyaku o shitai desu.

I would like to make an appointment.

Useful by phone or at a clinic counter.

I have my insurance card

保険証を持っています。

Hokenshō o motte imasu.

I have my insurance card.

Also useful: マイナ保険証 — My Number health insurance card.

Please speak slowly

ゆっくりお願いします。

Yukkuri onegai shimasu.

Slowly, please.

Very useful when medical explanations are fast.

Could you write it down?

書いていただけますか。

Kaite itadakemasu ka.

Could you write it down?

Use for medicine instructions, appointment dates, or next steps.

Medical flow

A safe hospital visit pattern

Medical visits usually move through reception, insurance card, symptom explanation, examination, payment, prescription, and pharmacy.

Symptoms

Fever, cough, pain, stomachache, headache, dizziness, nausea, injury.

Reception

Appointment, insurance card, forms, first visit, referral, waiting.

Medicine

Prescription, pharmacy, dosage, side effects, allergies, instructions.

Emergency

Ambulance, severe pain, allergy, injury, help, police, urgent phrases.

Symptoms

Say what hurts first.

Start with the simplest symptom sentence. You can add time, severity, and location after that.

I have a fever

熱があります。

Netsu ga arimasu.

I have a fever.

I have a cough

咳が出ます。

Seki ga demasu.

I have a cough.

My head hurts

頭が痛いです。

Atama ga itai desu.

My head hurts. / I have a headache.

My stomach hurts

お腹が痛いです。

Onaka ga itai desu.

My stomach hurts.

I feel dizzy

めまいがします。

Memai ga shimasu.

I feel dizzy.

I feel nauseous

吐き気がします。

Hakike ga shimasu.

I feel nauseous.

I injured my leg

足をけがしました。

Ashi o kega shimashita.

I injured my leg/foot.

It hurts here

ここが痛いです。

Koko ga itai desu.

It hurts here.

Since yesterday

昨日からです。

Kinō kara desu.

It has been since yesterday.

Reception and forms

Reception Japanese is paperwork Japanese.

You may be asked for your health insurance card, ID, appointment, first-visit form, symptoms, and medication history.

First visit

初めてです。

Hajimete desu.

It is my first time here.

Insurance card

保険証はこちらです。

Hokenshō wa kochira desu.

Here is my insurance card.

Form

この用紙に記入すればいいですか。

Kono yōshi ni kinyū sureba ii desu ka.

Should I fill out this form?

Do not understand

すみません、よく分かりません。

Sumimasen, yoku wakarimasen.

Sorry, I do not understand well.

Referral

紹介状が必要ですか。

Shōkaijō ga hitsuyō desu ka.

Is a referral letter needed?

How long?

どのくらい待ちますか。

Dono kurai machimasu ka.

About how long will I wait?

Allergies and medicine

Say allergies clearly.

Allergy language is important. Say it early and directly. If you have a serious allergy, consider carrying written Japanese information.

薬のアレルギーがあります。

Kusuri no arerugī ga arimasu.

I have a medicine allergy.

Replace 薬 with the specific medicine, food, or substance if needed.

Practice Listening

Pharmacy

Prescription and medicine instructions

At the pharmacy, confirm when and how to take medicine. Ask them to write it down if needed.

I have a prescription

処方箋があります。

Shohōsen ga arimasu.

I have a prescription.

How should I take this?

この薬はどう飲めばいいですか。

Kono kusuri wa dō nomeba ii desu ka.

How should I take this medicine?

How many times a day?

一日に何回ですか。

Ichinichi ni nankai desu ka.

How many times per day?

Before or after meals?

食前ですか、食後ですか。

Shokuzen desu ka, shokugo desu ka.

Before meals or after meals?

Side effects?

副作用はありますか。

Fukusayō wa arimasu ka.

Are there side effects?

Please write it down

飲み方を書いていただけますか。

Nomikata o kaite itadakemasu ka.

Could you write down how to take it?

Emergency Japanese

Learn these before you need them.

Emergency phrases should be simple and memorized. In a crisis, direct Japanese is better than perfect Japanese.

Help me

助けてください。

Tasukete kudasai.

Please help me.

Call an ambulance

救急車を呼んでください。

Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai.

Please call an ambulance.

Severe pain

強い痛みがあります。

Tsuyoi itami ga arimasu.

I have severe pain.

Cannot breathe

息ができません。

Iki ga dekimasen.

I cannot breathe.

Chest pain

胸が痛いです。

Mune ga itai desu.

My chest hurts.

Serious allergy

強いアレルギー反応があります。

Tsuyoi arerugī hannō ga arimasu.

I am having a strong allergic reaction.

Model conversation

At the clinic reception

すみません。診察を受けたいです。
初めてです。
保険証はこちらです。
昨日から熱があります。
咳も出ます。
ゆっくり説明していただけますか。

Sumimasen. Shinsatsu o uketai desu.
Hajimete desu.
Hokenshō wa kochira desu.
Kinō kara netsu ga arimasu.
Seki mo demasu.
Yukkuri setsumei shite itadakemasu ka.

Excuse me. I would like to see a doctor.
It is my first time here.
Here is my insurance card.
I have had a fever since yesterday.
I also have a cough.
Could you explain slowly?

When you do not understand

Medical recovery phrases

You need to understand medical instructions. Ask again. Ask slowly. Ask them to write it down.

One more time

もう一度お願いします。

Mō ichido onegai shimasu.

One more time, please.

Slowly

ゆっくりお願いします。

Yukkuri onegai shimasu.

Slowly, please.

Simple explanation

簡単に説明していただけますか。

Kantan ni setsumei shite itadakemasu ka.

Could you explain simply?

Write it

書いていただけますか。

Kaite itadakemasu ka.

Could you write it down?

Confirm medicine

薬の飲み方を確認したいです。

Kusuri no nomikata o kakunin shitai desu.

I would like to confirm how to take the medicine.

Translation help

英語で説明できますか。

Eigo de setsumei dekimasu ka.

Can you explain in English?

Health and dignity

Hospital Japanese is calm-under-pressure language.

When you are sick or afraid, language becomes harder. That is why the most useful medical Japanese is simple, direct, and memorized before the emergency.

You do not need perfect Japanese to ask for help. You need enough Japanese to say what hurts, when it started, what medicine you take, whether you have allergies, and what you did not understand.

Practice path

What to practice next

Life Japanese

Return to the main daily-life Japanese hub.

City Hall Japanese

Practice insurance card, residence card, and public counter language.

Numbers & Time

Practice appointments, dates, time, dosage, and fees.

Listening Practice

Train your ear for medical and counter phrases.

Remember this

Say the symptom first. Confirm the medicine before leaving.

Fever, pain, allergy, medicine, dosage, next appointment — these are worth repeating slowly and writing down.

Practice Listening Back to Life Japanese