UNIT 7
Hospitals, Clinics & Pharmacies
Hospitals, Clinics & Pharmacies
Lesson 3: Explaining Pain and Problems
どこがいたいですか — Telling the Doctor What’s Wrong
⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading
Before You Start
Once you are in the examination room, the doctor will ask you questions to understand your condition. In this lesson you will learn how to say where it hurts, how long you have had the problem, how severe the pain is, and how to explain an injury. These phrases let you communicate clearly even with very basic Japanese.
What you will learn:
- Answer “where does it hurt” — 〇〇が痛いです
- Say since when — 昨日からです / 今朝からです
- Describe pain level — 少し痛いです / とても痛いです
- Report an injury — けがをしました / 転びました
- Ask the doctor questions — いつからですか
1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ
どこが痛いですか。
Doko ga itai desu ka.
Where does it hurt?
いつからですか。
Itsu kara desu ka.
Since when?
昨日からです。
Kinoo kara desu.
Since yesterday.
今朝からです。
Kesa kara desu.
Since this morning.
少し痛いです。
Sukoshi itai desu.
It hurts a little.
とても痛いです。
Totemo itai desu.
It hurts a lot.
けがをしました。
Kega o shimashita.
I got injured.
転びました。
Korobimashita.
I fell down.
2. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント
① 〇〇からです — saying “since when”
から = “from / since.” Attach it to a time word to say when your problem started. This is one of the first things a doctor asks.
昨日からです。Since yesterday.
今朝からです。Since this morning.
3日前からです。Since 3 days ago.
先週からです。Since last week.
② Pain scale — 少し / とても
Doctors appreciate knowing how severe the pain is. 少し (a little) vs とても / すごく (a lot). You can also point at a pain chart — many clinics have one.
少し痛いです。It hurts a little.
とても痛いです。It hurts a lot.
すごく痛いです。It hurts very much.
③ けがをしました / 転びました — reporting injuries
けがをしました = “I got injured” — use this for any type of injury. 転びました = “I fell down” — use this to explain how the injury happened. You can combine them: 転びました。足がけがをしました.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t say 私は昨日です. The correct form for “since yesterday” is 昨日からです. The から particle is essential — it marks the starting point in time.
Don’t say 私は昨日です. The correct form for “since yesterday” is 昨日からです. The から particle is essential — it marks the starting point in time.
3. Time Words & Pain Vocabulary ／ じかんとつうつうのことば
🕒 Time Words ／ じかんのことば
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今朝 | kesa | this morning |
| 昨日 | kinoo | yesterday |
| 先週 | senshuu | last week |
| 3日前 | mikkamae | 3 days ago |
| さっき | sakki | just now / a moment ago |
💪 Pain & Injury Words ／ いたみとけがのことば
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 痛い | itai | painful / hurts |
| 少し | sukoshi | a little |
| とても | totemo | very / a lot |
| けが | kega | injury |
| 転びます | korobimasu | fall down |
| 足 | ashi | leg / foot |
4. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ
💬 Conversation 1 — Stomachache
💬 Conversation 2 — Injury from a Fall
💬 Conversation 3 — Headache Since This Morning
💬 Conversation 4 — Back Pain
5. Vocabulary ／ たんご
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| どこ | doko | where |
| いつ | itsu | when |
| から | kara | from / since |
| 少し | sukoshi | a little |
| とても | totemo | very / a lot |
| けが | kega | injury |
| 転びます | korobimasu | fall down |
| 足 | ashi | leg / foot |
| 背中 | senaka | back |
6. Check Your Understanding ／ クイズ
Think about each question first. Answers and explanations are shown below.
Q1. What does 「どこが痛いですか。」 mean?
A. When did it start? B. How much does it hurt? C. Where does it hurt? D. What is wrong?
Answer: C
どこが痛いですか = “Where does it hurt?” どこ = where. This is one of the first questions a doctor will ask.
どこが痛いですか = “Where does it hurt?” どこ = where. This is one of the first questions a doctor will ask.
Q2. How do you say “Since yesterday”?
A. 昨日です。 B. 昨日からです。 C. 昨日までです。 D. 昨日でした。
Answer: B
昨日からです = “Since yesterday.” The particle から = “from / since” marks the starting point.
昨日からです = “Since yesterday.” The particle から = “from / since” marks the starting point.
Q3. What does 「少し痛いです。」 mean?
A. It hurts a lot. B. It hurts a little. C. It doesn’t hurt. D. I got injured.
Answer: B
少し = a little. とても = a lot / very. Use both to tell the doctor how severe the pain is.
少し = a little. とても = a lot / very. Use both to tell the doctor how severe the pain is.
Q4. How do you say “I fell down”?
A. けがをしました。 B. 転びました。 C. 痛いです。 D. 昨日からです。
Answer: B
転びました = “I fell down.” A: I got injured. These are often used together: 転びました。けがをしました。
転びました = “I fell down.” A: I got injured. These are often used together: 転びました。けがをしました。
Q5. What does 「今朝からです。」 mean?
A. Since last week. B. Since yesterday. C. Since this morning. D. Since just now.
Answer: C
今朝 = this morning. から = since. So 今朝からです = “since this morning.”
今朝 = this morning. から = since. So 今朝からです = “since this morning.”
Q6. The doctor asks 「いつからですか。」 Your back has hurt since last week. What do you say?
A. 背中が痛いです。 B. 転びました。 C. 先週からです。 D. 今朝からです。
Answer: C
先週からです = “Since last week.” 先週 = last week. The doctor asked “since when” so you answer with the time + からです.
先週からです = “Since last week.” 先週 = last week. The doctor asked “since when” so you answer with the time + からです.
7. Match the Meaning ／ れんしゅう
どこが痛いですか。 → ______
いつからですか。 → ______
昨日からです。 → ______
少し痛いです。 → ______
とても痛いです。 → ______
けがをしました。 → ______
転びました。 → ______
Choices: A. It hurts a lot. B. Since yesterday. C. I fell down. D. Where does it hurt? E. I got injured. F. Since when? G. It hurts a little.
Answers: どこが痛いですか = D ／ いつからですか = F ／ 昨日からです = B ／ 少し痛いです = G ／ とても痛いです = A ／ けがをしました = E ／ 転びました = C
🚀 Mini Mission
Today’s mission: Practice the doctor’s examination in Japanese.
Practice this Q&A with your teacher — take turns as doctor and patient:
どこが痛いですか。／ 〇〇が痛いです。／ いつからですか。／ 〇〇からです。／ 少し / とても痛いです。
📘 Review ／ まとめ
In this lesson you learned how to tell the doctor where it hurts, since when, and how severe the pain is.
〇〇が痛いです。(〇〇 hurts.)
〇〇からです。(Since 〇〇.)
少し / とても痛いです。(A little / a lot.)
けがをしました。(I got injured.)
〇〇からです。(Since 〇〇.)
少し / とても痛いです。(A little / a lot.)
けがをしました。(I got injured.)
💡 The two most important patterns: 〇〇が痛いです (say where it hurts) and 〇〇からです (say when it started). Together they answer the doctor’s first two questions every time.
FAQ
Q. What if I can’t remember the Japanese word for the body part that hurts?
Point at it. Japanese doctors and nurses are very accustomed to this, especially with patients who are learning the language. You can say ここが痛いです (“here hurts”) while pointing — it is completely natural and understood immediately.
Q. What does the doctor mean by どのくらい痛いですか?
どのくらい痛いですか = “How much does it hurt?” Answer with 少し痛いです (a little) or とても痛いです (a lot). Many clinics also have numbered pain charts — 1 to 10 — that you can point at without needing words.
Q. What should I do if I don’t understand what the doctor is saying?
Say すみません、わかりません (“Sorry, I don’t understand”) or ゆっくり話してください (“Please speak slowly”). You can also ask 英語はありますか (“Do you have English?”) — many clinics in cities have staff who can help or provide written explanations.
🏥 Practice with a real teacher
Want to Practice with a Teacher?
Explaining pain and symptoms clearly is one of the most practical Japanese skills you can develop. Try a free trial lesson and practice real doctor-patient conversations.
Online or in-person — both available on request.