125 Japanese Medical Terms You Should Know [Audio Included]

Whether you find yourself residing in Japan or just visiting the country, having a grasp of medical terminology is invaluable.

While we all hope for good health, the unexpected can happen, and you never know when you’ll need to see a medical professional or discuss an ailment. 

Furthermore, health-related topics frequently arise in everyday conversations.

And if you work in the medical field with Japanese-speaking patients, knowing this vocabulary is essential for providing effective care.

In this article, we’ll cover 125 Japanese medical terms for body parts, physical and mental ailments, treatments and more.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The Body — 体 (からだ)

These body parts in Japanese will come in handy when talking about medical issues, and about the body in general. 

Example:

リンゴをかじったら、歯茎から血が出た！

(りんごをかじったら、はぐきから ちが でた！)

“When I bit into an apple, my gums bled!”

Physical Ailments — 体の病気 (からだの びょうき) 

No one wants to deal with physical ailments, but they inevitably arise. Here are some Japanese terms so you’ll know how to talk about them when they do. 

Example:

Mental Ailments — 精神病 (せいしんびょう)  

Mental ailments are common and require specialized attention. In order to get the necessary help for ourselves or a loved one, we need to know how to talk about them. 

Example:

彼女はうつ病と不安症に苦しんでおり、精神障害の治療を受けています。

(かのじょは うつびょうと ふあんしょうに くるしんでおり、せいしんしょうがいの ちりょうを うけています。)

“She’s suffering from depression and anxiety and is receiving treatment for her psychiatric disorders.”

Treatment — 治療 (ちりょう)  

These terms for medical treatments in Japanese will certainly come in handy if you ever have to visit a hospital in Japan. They’ll also boost your understanding when watching medical dramas in Japanese!

Example:

Medical Verbs — 医療動詞 (いりょうどうし)

Japanese verbs related to health and medical treatment are good to know so you can communicate clearly and understand the doctor’s instructions.

Example:

彼女は足を捻挫して、今は腫れているので、薬を飲んで痛みが和らぐのを待っています。

(かのじょは あしを ねんざして、いまは はれているので、くすりをのんで いたみがやわらぐのを まっています。)

“She twisted her ankle, and it’s swollen now, so she’s waiting for the pain to heal by taking medicine.”

Other Useful Vocabulary — 他の役立つ語彙 (ほかの やくだつ ごい)  

Here are some more terms in Japanese related to health and medicine that you may find useful in your travels or daily life. 

Example:

私には、慢性的な中耳炎があります。風邪を引くと、いつも中耳炎になります。

(わたしには、まんせいてきな ちゅうじえんがあります。かぜをひくと、ちゅうじえんになります。)

“I have chronic ear infections. Whenever I get a cold, I also get an ear infection.”

How to Learn Medical Terms in Japanese

Besides bookmarking this page and coming back to it at study time, here are some more ways to learn Japanese medical terms:

• Trick yourself into thinking you have to study for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and crack out a practice book! Whether you’re actually taking the test or not, the JLPT materials are among the most useful sources for studying vocabulary in bulk, and you can see words used in real-life situations.

• If you have a smartphone, get an app that lets you create flashcards or vocabulary lists and fill them up with words you think will be useful. You can pull out your phone at the clinic and show the doctor if you can’t remember the right words to say. The FluentU program, for instance, lets you create flashcards from vocabulary words that are audio and video enhanced, so you can practice speaking the words or just play the words to the doctor.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

  P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

   

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• As long as you’re using a smartphone, try an app for learning kanji that may include some medical terms, so you can learn to read medicine boxes and prescriptions.

• Poke around in Japanese medical dictionaries, take a look at online vocabulary sources and take practice quizzes.

Adding some medical terms to your Japanese vocabulary will help you feel more at ease in health-related situations.

By learning these terms, you’ll be able to communicate with doctors, nurses and other medical staff (or patients) more effectively and find what you need at the pharmacy. 

Try to learn a handful of new words each day, and you’ll soon have them all down! 

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing...

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU.

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:

FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)