What should I bring to a Japanese hospital as a foreigner?

Bring your health insurance card (保険証), residence card (在留カード), passport, and a written note describing your symptoms in Japanese. Emergency rooms (救急) accept anyone regardless of insurance, but costs are higher without coverage.

What is the difference between 内科 and 外科?

内科 (naika) is internal medicine — for fever, cough, stomach issues, general illness. 外科 (geika) is surgery for wounds, cuts, and surgical cases. 整形外科 (seikei geka) is orthopedics for bone and joint pain. Most GP-style visits go to 内科.

What number do I call for an ambulance in Japan?

Call 119 for ambulance (救急車) and fire. Call 110 for police. Say 救急車をお願いします (Kyuukyuusha wo onegaishimasu) and your address. Japan Post's 119 dispatchers have language interpretation access.

How do I explain my allergy at a Japanese pharmacy?

Say: 〇〇にアレルギーがあります (I am allergic to 〇〇). For example: ペニシリンにアレルギーがあります (I am allergic to penicillin). Carry a written note in Japanese listing your allergies — the pharmacist (薬剤師) can check the medication for you.

Medical Kanji Flashcards Japan

Learn the Japanese words you need to describe symptoms, understand prescriptions, and navigate hospitals — patient vocabulary, not medical jargon.

total learned

total cards

0% complete

Symptoms (症状)

0/18 learned — click card to reveal, ✓ to mark learned

痛い

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

頭痛

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

熱

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

吐き気

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

下痢

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

咳

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

鼻水

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

鼻詰まり

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

めまい

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

息切れ

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

かゆい

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

しびれ

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

むくみ

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

発疹

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

食欲不振

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

不眠

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

動悸

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

出血

Tap to see meaning

symptoms

Essential Hospital Phrases

I feel pain hereここが痛いですKoko ga itai desu

I have a fever of __ degrees__度の熱があります__-do no netsu ga arimasu

I'm allergic to ____にアレルギーがあります__ ni arerugii ga arimasu

I'm taking this medicineこの薬を飲んでいますKono kusuri wo nonde imasu

I have health insurance保険証を持っていますHokenshou wo motte imasu

I need an interpreter通訳が必要ですTsuyaku ga hitsuyou desu

Where is the pharmacy?薬局はどこですか？Yakkyoku wa doko desu ka?

How many times a day should I take this?1日何回飲めばいいですか？Ichinichi nankai nomeba ii desu ka?

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for care-worker vocabulary?

The Kaigo Dictionary covers professional nursing and care-work terms for report writing and workplace communication — different from patient vocabulary here.

医療漢字フラッシュカード · 病院日本語外国人 · 症状単語日本語 · 処方箋読み方 · 病院受付案内外国人 · medical japanese flashcards · hospital kanji foreigner japan · japanese symptoms vocabulary

Medical Kanji Flashcards Japan

Symptoms (症状)

Essential Hospital Phrases

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Tools

Hospital Helper

Kaigo Dictionary

Japanese Phrases

Nisshi AI