Medical Japanese Phrases for the Clinic, Pharmacy and Emergencies

Medical Japanese phrases for reception

Reception (受付, uketsuke) is where you hand over your insurance details and fill in a questionnaire (問診票, monshinhyō). Some clinics have it in English, and free multilingual versions exist (see the tip below).

Describing symptoms in Japanese

Keep it short: what the symptom is, where it is, and since when. Doctors in Japan usually ask 「いつからですか？」 (itsu kara desu ka?, since when?).

How to describe pain in Japanese

Japanese uses sound words (onomatopoeia) to describe the type of pain, and doctors understand them well. Combine the type with a number from 0 to 10.

Body parts in Japanese

Put the body part in front of 「が痛いです」 (ga itai desu): for example 「頭が痛いです」 (atama ga itai desu, I have a headache).

Allergies, medicines and conditions

This is the most important information to get right, so don't rely on spoken phrases for it. Before your visit, write your allergies, current medicines, ongoing conditions and any pregnancy in one place and get it into Japanese:

• Use the free multilingual medical questionnaire from the Kanagawa International Foundation, which puts the questions in your language side by side with Japanese.
• Or bring a translated medical summary and medicine list. MedicTranslate translates medical documents with the translator named.
• For anything serious, such as a severe allergy, pregnancy or a complex condition, use a medical interpreter.

Making sure you understand the doctor

If you need a certificate for work, school or insurance, see our guide to the shindansho (medical certificate).

Medical Japanese phrases at the pharmacy

Prescriptions are usually filled at a separate pharmacy (薬局, yakkyoku), and you pay for the medicine there. The pharmacist explains how to take it. These phrases help you check you've understood.

Emergencies: calling 119 in Japan

Call 119 for an ambulance or fire. The operator first asks whether it is a fire or an emergency: answer 「救急です」 (kyūkyū desu, it's a medical emergency). Then give the address and what happened. Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency promotes three-way telephone interpreting on 119 calls, and many fire departments offer it. Inagi City in Tokyo, for example, covers English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 24 hours a day, and Otaru City in Hokkaido lists 32 languages. Ask for English and stay on the line while you are connected. Availability varies by area.

Visitors can also call the JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787. It runs 24 hours a day, every day, in English, Chinese and Korean, and helps with illness, injury and disasters. JNTO notes that, as a rule, the hotline does not interpret three-way between you and a hospital. For the full emergency process, see calling 119 in Japan.

When a phrase list is not enough

Phrases help with simple exchanges such as checking in, describing a symptom or asking the pharmacist. They are not a safe substitute for an interpreter when a misunderstanding could change your treatment:

• ConsentBefore surgery, procedures, anaesthesia or any form you are asked to sign.
• A new or serious diagnosisWhen the doctor explains test results, a diagnosis or a treatment plan.
• Mental healthWhere nuance and how you describe feelings matter.
• Children, pregnancy and birthWhen you are speaking for someone else, or two patients are involved.
• EmergenciesCall 119 and use its interpreter. Arrange a medical interpreter for the hospital stay that follows.

Free and low-cost options exist in many areas. Our guide to free medical interpreters in Japan lists them, and medical interpreter cost in Japan explains what paid interpreting costs.