Japanese for Daily Life in Japan｜Beginner Practical Course

UNIT 7
Hospitals, Clinics & Pharmacies

Lesson 1: Feeling Sick and Saying Symptoms
ぐあいがわるいです — When You Are Not Feeling Well

⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading

Before You Start

Getting sick happens to everyone — and when it happens in Japan, knowing even a few phrases makes an enormous difference. In this lesson you will learn how to tell someone you are not feeling well, name your symptoms clearly, and ask for medical help. These phrases work in daily conversation, at the clinic reception, and with a doctor.

What you will learn:

Say you feel sick — 具合が悪いです / 体調が悪いです
Say you have a fever — 熱があります
Say you have a cough — 咳が出ます
Say you have a headache — 頭が痛いです
Say you have a stomachache — お腹が痛いです
Ask to go to the hospital — 病院に行きたいです

1. Key Phrases ／きほんのフレーズ

具合が悪いです。

Guai ga warui desu.

I feel sick.

体調が悪いです。

Taichoo ga warui desu.

I am not feeling well.

熱があります。

Netsu ga arimasu.

I have a fever.

咳が出ます。

Seki ga demasu.

I have a cough.

頭が痛いです。

Atama ga itai desu.

I have a headache.

お腹が痛いです。

Onaka ga itai desu.

I have a stomachache.

病院に行きたいです。

Byooin ni ikitai desu.

I want to go to the hospital.

2. Phrase Notes ／ポイント

① 具合が悪いです vs 体調が悪いです

Both mean “I feel sick / I am not feeling well” and are interchangeable in most situations. 具合が悪いです is slightly more conversational and natural for telling someone casually. 体調が悪いです is common in medical settings. Either one will always be understood.

② 〇〇が痛いです — naming where it hurts

Replace 〇〇 with the body part to say where you feel pain. 痛い (itai) = painful/hurts.

頭が痛いです。My head hurts. (headache)

お腹が痛いです。My stomach hurts.

のどが痛いです。My throat hurts.

歯が痛いです。My tooth hurts.

③ 咳が出ます — how to say “I have a cough”

出ます literally means “comes out.” 咳が出ます = “a cough comes out” = I have a cough. This phrasing is the natural way Japanese speakers describe coughing, sneezing, and similar symptoms.

④ 病院 vs クリニック

病院 (byooin) is a hospital — a larger facility. クリニック (kurinikku) or 診療所 (shinryoojo) is a clinic — the smaller neighbourhood doctor’s office where most people go for everyday illness. For non-emergency situations, a クリニック is usually the right choice.

⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t say 私は熱です. The correct form is 熱があります (“there is a fever”). For symptoms, Japanese uses 〇〇があります (there is 〇〇) or 〇〇が痛いです (〇〇 hurts) — not the simple “I am 〇〇” structure.

3. Body Parts & Symptoms ／からだとしょうじょう

🦴 Body Parts ／からだ

Japanese	Romaji	English
頭	atama	head
のど	nodo	throat
お腹	onaka	stomach / belly
背中	senaka	back
歯	ha	tooth / teeth
耳	mimi	ear
目	me	eye

🤒 Symptoms ／しょうじょう

Japanese	Romaji	English
熱	netsu	fever
咳	seki	cough
鼻水	hanamizu	runny nose
吐き気	hakike	nausea
下痢	geri	diarrhea

4. Conversation Practice ／かいわ

💬 Conversation 1 — Are You Okay?

A大丈夫ですか。Are you okay?

B具合が悪いです。病院に行きたいです。I feel sick. I want to go to the hospital.

Aわかりました。一緒に行きましょう。I understand. Let’s go together.

💬 Conversation 2 — At the Doctor’s Office

医者 doctorどうしましたか。What is wrong? / What happened?

患者 patient熱があります。咳が出ます。I have a fever. I have a cough.

医者 doctorいつからですか。Since when?

患者 patient昨日からです。Since yesterday.

💬 Conversation 3 — Headache and Sore Throat

医者 doctorどこが痛いですか。Where does it hurt?

患者 patient頭が痛いです。のども痛いです。My head hurts. My throat also hurts.

医者 doctorわかりました。I understand.

💬 Conversation 4 — Telling a Colleague

Aすみません。体調が悪いです。Excuse me. I am not feeling well.

B大丈夫ですか。熱がありますか。Are you okay? Do you have a fever?

Aはい、少しあります。Yes, a little.

5. Vocabulary ／たんご

Japanese	Romaji	English
具合	guai	condition / how one feels
体調	taichoo	physical condition
悪い	warui	bad
熱	netsu	fever
咳	seki	cough
痛い	itai	painful / hurts
病院	byooin	hospital
クリニック	kurinikku	clinic
医者	isha	doctor
昨日	kinoo	yesterday

6. Check Your Understanding ／クイズ

Think about each question first. Answers and explanations are shown below each one.

Q1. What does 「具合が悪いです。」 mean?

A. I am hungry. B. I feel sick. C. I am tired. D. I am fine.

Answer: B
具合が悪いです = “I feel sick.” This is your go-to phrase when you need to tell someone you are unwell. 体調が悪いです means the same thing.

Q2. How do you say “I have a fever” in Japanese?

A. 熱が痛いです。 B. 熱が出ます。 C. 熱があります。 D. 熱はどこですか。

Answer: C
熱があります = “I have a fever.” あります = there is/I have. This is the standard structure for reporting a symptom that “exists.”

Q3. What does 「咳が出ます。」 mean?

A. I have a stomachache. B. I have a headache. C. I have a sore throat. D. I have a cough.

Answer: D
咳 = cough. 出ます = comes out. The pattern 〇〇が出ます is how Japanese expresses symptoms that “come out” (coughing, sneezing, bleeding, etc.).

Q4. How do you say “My head hurts” in Japanese?

A. お腹が痛いです。 B. 歯が痛いです。 C. 背中が痛いです。 D. 頭が痛いです。

Answer: D
頭が痛いです = “My head hurts / I have a headache.” 頭 = head. A: stomach. B: tooth. C: back.

Q5. What does 「どうしましたか。」 mean?

A. Where does it hurt? B. What is wrong? C. Since when? D. Do you have a fever?

Answer: B
どうしましたか = “What is wrong? / What happened?” This is the first question a doctor or nurse will ask when you enter the examination room.

Q6. How do you say “I want to go to the hospital”?

A. 病院はどこですか。 B. 病院に行きたいです。 C. 病院まで行きます。 D. 病院をください。

Answer: B
病院に行きたいです = “I want to go to the hospital.” The 〇〇に行きたいです pattern expresses the desire to go somewhere.

7. Match the Meaning ／れんしゅう

Match each phrase with its English meaning. Check your answers below.

具合が悪いです。 → ______

体調が悪いです。 → ______

熱があります。 → ______

咳が出ます。 → ______

頭が痛いです。 → ______

お腹が痛いです。 → ______

病院に行きたいです。 → ______

Choices: A. I have a cough. B. I am not feeling well. C. I have a stomachache. D. I feel sick. E. I have a fever. F. I want to go to the hospital. G. I have a headache.

Answers: 具合が悪いです = D ／体調が悪いです = B ／熱があります = E ／咳が出ます = A ／頭が痛いです = G ／お腹が痛いです = C ／病院に行きたいです = F

🚀 Mini Mission

Today’s mission: Practice describing how you feel in Japanese.

Say these three phrases aloud with your teacher or practice solo:

具合が悪いです。／熱があります。／病院に行きたいです。

Then try making your own: 〇〇が痛いです。 — replace 〇〇 with any body part.

📘 Review ／まとめ

In this lesson you learned how to say you feel sick and describe your symptoms in Japanese. The most important phrases are:

具合が悪いです。(I feel sick.)
熱があります。(I have a fever.)
頭が痛いです。(I have a headache.)
病院に行きたいです。(I want to go to the hospital.)

💡 Key patterns: 〇〇があります (I have 〇〇 — for fever, symptoms) and 〇〇が痛いです (〇〇 hurts — for body parts). These two patterns cover almost every symptom you need to describe.

FAQ

Q. Should I go to a 病院 or a クリニック for a cold or mild illness?

For everyday illness — cold, fever, stomachache — go to a クリニック (or 内科, an internal medicine clinic). 病院 are large hospitals and can involve long waits for non-emergency cases. Clinics are faster, easier to access, and usually the right choice for beginner-level situations.

Q. What is the most important phrase to know in this lesson?

具合が悪いです and 病院に行きたいです. Together they tell someone you are unwell AND that you need medical attention. Anyone who hears these two phrases will immediately understand and help you.

Q. Do I need a health insurance card to see a doctor in Japan?

If you are a resident of Japan with National Health Insurance (国民健康保険), always bring your 保険証 (health insurance card) — it reduces your medical costs significantly. If you are a tourist, Japan has visitor health insurance options, and many clinics accept international travel insurance. Bring your passport and any insurance documents you have.

🏥 Practice with a real teacher

Want to Practice with a Teacher?

Describing symptoms clearly in Japanese takes real practice. Try a free trial lesson with a professional teacher and be ready to explain exactly how you feel at any clinic in Japan.

Book a Free Trial Lesson →

Online or in-person — both available on request.

Lesson 1: Feeling Sick and Saying Symptomsぐあいがわるいです — When You Are Not Feeling Well

Before You Start

1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ

2. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント

3. Body Parts & Symptoms ／ からだとしょうじょう

4. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ