Chapter 20 — Health: At the Doctor, At the Pharmacy

Getting sick in a foreign country is stressful in any language. In Japan, the medical system is efficient and the standard of care is high, but the interaction follows predictable patterns with specialized vocabulary. A doctor will ask you the same handful of questions — when did it start, what are your symptoms, do you have allergies — and a pharmacist will explain your medication using formulaic instructions. This chapter teaches you to understand both sides of these exchanges.

The grammar here is nothing new. What is new is the vocabulary: names for symptoms, body parts, medications, and the set phrases that medical professionals use. Learn to recognize these patterns and a doctor visit becomes far less intimidating.

20.1 Symptom Vocabulary

Describing symptoms in Japanese follows several grammatical patterns. The most important are:

Pattern 1: ～がある — "have (a condition)"

熱がある。 "I have a fever."

アレルギーがある。 "I have allergies."

Pattern 2: ～が痛い — "～ hurts"

頭が痛い。 "My head hurts." / "I have a headache."

お腹が痛い。 "My stomach hurts."

喉が痛い。 "My throat hurts."

歯が痛い。 "My tooth hurts."

The い-adjective 痛い（いたい）combines with the body part marked by が. This is a straightforward application of the adjective predicate structure from Stage 1.

Pattern 3: ～が出る — "～ comes out"

咳が出る。 "I have a cough." (literally "a cough comes out")

鼻水が出る。 "I have a runny nose." (literally "nose water comes out")

血が出る。 "I'm bleeding." (literally "blood comes out")

涙が出る。 "My eyes are watering." (literally "tears come out")

The verb 出る（でる, 一段）is used for symptoms that "emerge" from the body.

Pattern 4: ～がする — "feel/sense ～"

めまいがする。 "I feel dizzy."

吐き気がする。 "I feel nauseous."

寒気がする。 "I feel chills."

気分が悪い。 "I feel unwell." / "I feel sick."

The verb する here expresses a physical sensation. The sensation itself is marked with が as the subject of する.

Combining Symptoms

In practice, you describe multiple symptoms using て-form chaining:

昨日から　熱があって、頭も　痛くて、咳も　出ます。 "Since yesterday I've had a fever, my head hurts too, and I have a cough."

お腹が　痛くて、吐き気も　します。 "My stomach hurts and I feel nauseous too."

Common Symptom List

20.2 Body Parts — Review and Expansion

Stage 1 covered the external body parts most commonly referenced in daily life. This section expands that vocabulary to include internal organs and medical systems that come up in health contexts.

External (Review and Addition)

You should already know: 頭（あたま）, 目（め）, 耳（みみ）, 鼻（はな）, 口（くち）, 歯（は）, 手（て）, 足（あし）, お腹（おなか）.

Additional external terms for medical contexts:

喉（のど） — throat

胸（むね） — chest

背中（せなか） — back (of body)

腰（こし） — lower back; hip area

首（くび） — neck

肩（かた） — shoulder

指（ゆび） — finger

皮膚（ひふ） — skin

Internal Organs

These are less common in daily conversation but essential when a doctor is explaining a diagnosis:

胃（い） — stomach (the organ)

Note the distinction: お腹 refers to the general abdominal area, while 胃 refers specifically to the stomach organ.

腸（ちょう） — intestines

肺（はい） — lungs

肝臓（かんぞう） — liver

腎臓（じんぞう） — kidney

心臓（しんぞう） — heart (the organ)

Medical Measurements

体温（たいおん） — body temperature

血圧（けつあつ） — blood pressure

脈拍（みゃくはく） — pulse

体重（たいじゅう） — body weight

身長（しんちょう） — height

At a Japanese clinic, you will often encounter these terms on forms or when a nurse takes your vitals:

体温を　測ります。 "I'll take your temperature."

血圧を　測りましょう。 "Let's check your blood pressure."

The verb 測る（はかる, 五段）means "to measure."

20.3 At the Doctor — The Consultation

A visit to a Japanese clinic (クリニック or 病院) follows a predictable structure. Understanding the doctor's standard questions is the key to a smooth visit.

The Opening Question

The doctor's first question is almost always:

今日は　どうしましたか。 "What brings you here today?" (literally "What happened today?")

Or more formally:

今日は　どうなさいましたか。 "What brings you here today?" (respectful, using なさる = する)

This is not a casual "What's up?" — it is the standard medical opening. Your response should describe your symptoms.

Describing When It Started

いつからですか。 "Since when?"

昨日からです。 "Since yesterday."

三日前からです。 "Since three days ago."

先週の　月曜日からです。 "Since Monday of last week."

今朝からです。 "Since this morning."

Follow-Up Questions

The doctor will then ask targeted questions:

熱は　ありますか。 "Do you have a fever?"

咳は　出ますか。 "Do you have a cough?"

お腹は　痛いですか。 "Does your stomach hurt?"

アレルギーは　ありますか。 "Do you have any allergies?"

今、何か　薬を　飲んでいますか。 "Are you currently taking any medication?"

前にも　同じ症状が　ありましたか。 "Have you had the same symptoms before?"

Notice how は is used on each symptom — the doctor is topicalizing each item in turn, checking each one.

A Sample Consultation

医者：今日は　どうしましたか。 Doctor: "What brings you here today?"

患者：二日前から　お腹が　痛くて、下痢も　しています。 Patient: "Since two days ago my stomach has been hurting, and I've had diarrhea too."

医者：熱は　ありますか。 Doctor: "Do you have a fever?"

患者：少し　あります。昨日の夜、三十七度八分でした。 Patient: "A little. Last night it was 37.8 degrees."

Note: Japan uses Celsius. Normal body temperature is approximately 36.5度. A reading of 37度 or above is considered a low-grade fever, and 38度 or above is a significant fever.

医者：食欲は　どうですか。 Doctor: "How is your appetite?"

患者：あまり　ありません。 Patient: "Not much."

医者：何か　悪いものを　食べましたか。 Doctor: "Did you eat anything bad?"

患者：おとといの夜、お刺身を　食べたんですが… Patient: "The night before last, I ate sashimi..."

医者：アレルギーは　ありますか。 Doctor: "Do you have any allergies?"

患者：特に　ありません。 Patient: "Nothing in particular."

医者：分かりました。お腹を　見せてください。 Doctor: "I see. Please show me your stomach."

The doctor might then say:

ここを　押すと、痛いですか。 "When I press here, does it hurt?"

This uses the conditional と (Chapter 10) — pressing naturally results in a sensation.

Diagnosis and Next Steps

医者いしゃ：恐おそらく　軽かるい食中毒しょくちゅうどくだと　思おもいます。薬くすりを　出だしますので、三日間みっかかん　飲のんでください。 Doctor: "It's probably mild food poisoning. I'll prescribe some medication, so please take it for three days."

お大事に。 "Take care." (standard farewell from medical staff)

食中毒（しょくちゅうどく） — food poisoning

軽い（かるい） — light; mild

20.4 Medical Instructions

When a doctor prescribes medication or gives instructions, they use specific vocabulary for timing, dosage, and duration.

Timing of Medication

Dosage

一回（いっかい）～錠（じょう） — ～ tablets per dose

一日（いちにち）～回（かい） — ～ times per day

A typical instruction:

この薬を　一日三回、食後に　一回二錠、飲んでください。 "Please take this medicine three times a day, two tablets per dose, after meals."

～日分（にちぶん） — ～ days' worth

三日分の　薬を　出します。 "I'll prescribe three days' worth of medication."

五日分の　薬を　お出しします。 "I'll give you five days' worth of medication."

Types of Medication

Instructions

水と一緒に　飲んでください。 "Please take with water."

よく噛んでから　飲んでください。 "Please chew well before swallowing."

安静にしてください。 "Please rest quietly."

お風呂は　今日は　やめてください。 "Please don't take a bath today."

もし　三日経っても　良くならなかったら、また　来てください。 "If it hasn't improved after three days, please come again."

This last sentence uses the conditional たら (Chapter 10) with the negative — 良くならなかったら ("if it didn't get better").

20.5 At the Pharmacy

Japanese pharmacies (薬局, やっきょく) fall into two categories:

調剤薬局（ちょうざいやっきょく） — dispensing pharmacy, usually near a clinic, where you bring a doctor's prescription.

ドラッグストア — drugstore, where you can buy over-the-counter medications without a prescription.

With a Prescription

After a clinic visit, you will receive a 処方箋（しょほうせん, prescription）. You take this to a 調剤薬局.

薬剤師：処方箋を　お預かりします。少々　お待ちください。 Pharmacist: "I'll take your prescription. Please wait a moment."

薬剤師：田中様、お薬が　できました。 Pharmacist: "Mr./Ms. Tanaka, your medication is ready."

薬剤師：こちらは　胃の薬で、食後に　一錠ずつ　飲んでください。こちらは　痛み止めで、痛いときに　飲んでください。 Pharmacist: "This is stomach medicine — please take one tablet after meals. This is a painkiller — please take it when you are in pain."

痛み止め（いたみどめ） — painkiller

～ずつ — "each" / "at a time" (一錠ずつ = one tablet at a time)

Buying Over-the-Counter Medicine

At a drugstore, you may want to buy 市販薬（しはんやく, over-the-counter medicine）.

客：すみません、風邪薬は　どこですか。 Customer: "Excuse me, where is the cold medicine?"

店員：風邪薬は　こちらに　ございます。どんな　症状ですか。 Staff: "Cold medicine is over here. What kind of symptoms do you have?"

客：咳と　鼻水が　ひどいんですが。 Customer: "My cough and runny nose are bad."

店員：それでしたら、こちらが　よく効きますよ。 Staff: "In that case, this one works well."

効く（きく, 五段） — to be effective; to work (of medicine)

ひどい — terrible; severe

Common over-the-counter categories:

20.6 Reading Passage — A Visit to the Clinic

内科に行った日

先週せんしゅうの　水曜日すいようびから　咳せきが　出でて、喉のども　痛いたかった。最初さいしょは　風邪かぜだろうと　思おもって、ドラッグストアで　風邪薬かぜぐすりを　買かって　飲のんでいた。でも、三日みっか　経たっても　良よくならなかったので、近ちかくの　内科ないかに　行いくことにした。

朝あさの九時くじに　クリニックに　着ついた。受付うけつけで　保険証ほけんしょうを　出だして、問診票もんしんひょうを　もらった。問診票には　「今日きょうの症状しょうじょう」「いつから」「アレルギーの有無うむ」「現在げんざい飲のんでいる薬くすり」などの　項目こうもくがあった。全部ぜんぶ　書かいてから、受付に　出した。

三十分さんじゅっぷんぐらい　待まってから、名前なまえを　呼よばれた。診察室しんさつしつに　入はいると、先生せんせいが　「どうしましたか」と　聞きいた。「先週の水曜日から　咳が　止とまらなくて、喉も　痛いです」と　答こたえた。先生は　喉を　見みてから、「胸むねの音おとを　聞きますね」と　言いって、聴診器ちょうしんきを　当あてた。

「風邪かぜが　少すこし　こじれたようですね。抗生物質こうせいぶっしつと　咳止せきどめを　出だしますので、五日分いつかぶん　飲んでください。それから、今週こんしゅうは　できるだけ　安静あんせいにしてください」と　言いわれた。

隣となりの　調剤薬局ちょうざいやっきょくで　薬を　もらった。薬剤師やくざいしさんが　「抗生物質は　途中とちゅうで　やめないで、必かならず　最後さいごまで　飲んでくださいね」と　説明せつめいしてくれた。

薬くすりを　飲のみ始はじめて　三日みっかで、だいぶ　良よくなった。やはり早はやく　病院びょういんに　行いけばよかったと　思おもった。

Translation

Coughs had been coming out since Wednesday of last week, and my throat hurt too. At first I thought it was probably a cold, so I bought cold medicine at the drugstore and had been taking it. But even after three days it hadn't gotten better, so I decided to go to an internal medicine clinic nearby.

I arrived at the clinic at nine in the morning. At the reception desk I showed my insurance card and received a medical questionnaire. The questionnaire had items such as "today's symptoms," "since when," "presence or absence of allergies," and "medications currently being taken." After filling out everything, I handed it to reception.

After waiting about thirty minutes, my name was called. When I entered the examination room, the doctor asked, "What seems to be the problem?" I answered, "Since Wednesday of last week my cough won't stop and my throat hurts." The doctor looked at my throat, then said, "I'll listen to your chest sounds," and placed the stethoscope.

I was told, "It seems your cold has gotten a little complicated. I'll prescribe antibiotics and a cough suppressant, so please take them for five days. Also, please rest as much as possible this week."

I received the medicine at the dispensing pharmacy next door. The pharmacist explained, "Please don't stop the antibiotics partway through — make sure to take them all the way to the end."

Three days after starting the medicine, I had improved considerably. I thought that I should have gone to the clinic sooner after all.

20.7 Vocabulary List