After I got over my initial confusion that a 美容院 (biyōin, beauty salon) and a 病院 (byōin, hospital) were different places when I first arrived in Japan, I admit I didn’t give the latter much more thought. After all, I fancied myself young and invincible.

Well, I’ve now had more than my fair share of 怪我 (kega, injuries) and 病気 (byōki, illnesses) here, and I have ended up learning much more about 病院 through real-life situations than I had ever intended. As it turns out, there are plenty of ways to talk about 病院 without even mentioning the word for them.

While I have heard people say 病院に行く (byōin ni iku, go to the hospital) to mean a trip to the doctor, it’s more common to say 医者に行く (isha ni iku, go to the doctor) or to use the term for the specific type of clinic you’re going to when referring to anything other than a general hospital.

Clinics in Japan are separated into different specialties, with some of the main ones being 内科 (naika, internal medicine), 皮膚科 (hifuka, dermatology), 耳鼻科 (jibika, otolaryngology) and 産婦人科 (san fujinka, obstetrics and gynecology).

Each of these places ends with the kanji “科” (ka), which means “department” or “specialization.” It can be attached to the end of almost any medical specialty. You can then talk about it in the same way as going to the hospital, saying, 皮膚科に行く (hifuka ni iku, I’m going to the dermatologist).

In my time in Japan, I’ve ended up going to a few different types of clinics, and at each one the 受付 (uketsuke, reception) will first ask you to fill out a 問診票 (monshin-hyō, medical questionnaire) explaining your 症状 (shōjō, symptoms) as well as any other relevant medical information. This might include questions such as, 今日はどうされましたか？ (Kyō wa dō saremashita ka? What brings you here today?) and 現在、通院している病院はありますか？(Genzai, tsūin shite-iru byōin wa arimasu ka? Do you currently have a hospital you visit regularly?)

Instead of 行く(iku, to go), 通院する (tsūin suru) can be used to mean that you go to a hospital regularly. A verb using the same kanji, 通う (kayou, to go regularly/attend), can also be used to say さくら病院に通っている (Sakura byōin ni kayotte-iru, I regularly visit Sakura Hospital). This may be relevant in terms of any 薬 (kusuri, medication) or 治療 (chiryō, medical care) you are already getting.

In general cases you might want to simply convey that something hurts, such as by saying, お腹が痛いです (o-naka ga itai desu, my stomach hurts). If you have other 症状, though, most of them can be described as nouns in combination with the progressive form of する (suru, to do), which is している (shite-iru, to be in a condition). For example, 発熱をしています (hatsunetsu o shite-imasu, I am feverish) or the unfortunate 便秘をしています (benpi o shite-imasu, I am constipated).

Of course, for the doctor to surmise what ails you, they will likely have to do some 検査 (kensa, tests). This might be in the form of a 尿検査 (nyō kensa, urinalysis), 血圧を測る (ketsuatsu o hakaru, to check blood pressure) or even 採血をする (saiketsu o suru, taking a blood sample). After that, you may receive your 検査の結果 (kensa no kekka, test results) on the day, or may have to return at another time. During that part, I often like to ask 説明を録音してもいいですか？ (Setsumei o rokuon shite mo ii desu ka? Is it OK for me to record your explanation?) or その言葉をメモに書いてくれませんか？ (Sono kotoba o memo ni kaite-kuremasen ka? Could you write that word down for me?), just to make sure that I don’t forget anything.

If the results require 入院 (nyūin, admittance to a hospital), you may first be given a 紹介状 (shōkai-jō, referral letter) to go to a 総合病院 (sōgō byōin, general hospital). This is where they might administer more involved tests and treatments, such as レントゲン (rentogen, X-rays) or 点滴 (tenteki, a drip).

When it’s all over, you may get some instructions to follow at home, such as 食後にこの薬を飲んでくさい (shokugo ni kono kusuri o nonde kudasai, please take this medicine after each meal), and then, hopefully, you’ll be on your way to recovery.

If you’re reading this just to prepare for an upcoming appointment, I leave you with my warm regards: 無理をせず、治療に専念してください (Muri o sezu, chiryō ni sennen shite kudasai, Don’t push yourself, and focus on getting better).

Conversations at the clinic

Here are a few other words and phrases you might hear or say at the clinic:

  • 今までに手術を受けた事がありますか？ (Ima made ni shujutsu o uketa koto ga arimasu ka? Have you had surgery before?)
  • 症状はいつ頃から、どのような経過ですか？ (Shōjō wa itsu goro kara, dono yōna keika desu ka? When did the symptoms start, and how have they progressed?)
  • 痛み (itami, pain)
  • 吐き気がします (hakige ga shimasu, I feel nauseous)
  • かかりつけ医 (kakaritsuke-i, family doctor)
  • 妊娠中です (ninshin-chū desu, I’m pregnant)
  • 一番近い薬局はどこですか？ (Ichiban chikai yakkyoku wa doko desu ka? Where’s the nearest pharmacy?)