Telling a Doctor What Hurts, Without Sounding Rude

Yesterday we looked at the language of shops, where the clerk does most of the talking. Today is the opposite. At a hospital or clinic, you are the one who has to explain something, and the staff are busy. Polite, clear Japanese helps both of you.

The first thing you say

When you walk into a clinic, the receptionist will usually say:

お名前をお願いします。 (おなまえをおねがいします) — Your name, please.

Notice this is not 名前は何ですか. It is a polite request using お願いします, the same phrase you used in shops yesterday. You can answer with just your name, or with:

friendです。 — I am friend.

If you have an appointment, add:

予約（よやく）があります。 — I have a reservation.

That word 予約 is useful for restaurants and hotels too.

Describing where it hurts

The key pattern is:

[body part] が痛い（いたい）です。 — My [body part] hurts.

Examples:

• 頭（あたま）が痛いです。 — I have a headache.
• お腹（おなか）が痛いです。 — My stomach hurts.
• 喉（のど）が痛いです。 — My throat hurts.
• 歯（は）が痛いです。 — My tooth hurts.

If you are not sure of the exact word, you can point and say:

ここが痛いです。 — It hurts here.

That single sentence will get you further than a perfect vocabulary you cannot retrieve under stress.

Saying when it started

Doctors will ask:

いつからですか。 — Since when?

The answer pattern is:

[time] からです。 — Since [time].

• 昨日（きのう）からです。 — Since yesterday.
• 三日前（みっかまえ）からです。 — Since three days ago.
• 今朝（けさ）からです。 — Since this morning.

If it started suddenly, you can say:

急に（きゅうに）始まりました（はじまりました）。 — It started suddenly.

Fever, cough, and other symptoms

Some symptoms do not use 痛い. These are worth memorising as whole phrases:

• 熱（ねつ）があります。 — I have a fever.
• 咳（せき）が出ます（でます）。 — I have a cough. (Literally: a cough comes out.)
• 鼻水（はなみず）が出ます。 — I have a runny nose.
• めまいがします。 — I feel dizzy.
• 吐き気（はきけ）がします。 — I feel nauseous.

The pattern 〜がします is for sensations that come to you, not things you do. It is also used for smells and sounds: いい匂い（におい）がします — it smells good.

Being polite without being stiff

You do not need heavy keigo with a doctor. Medical staff want clarity, not ceremony. But two habits make you sound considerate:

1. Use お願いします when requesting.

診察（しんさつ）をお願いします。 — I would like a consultation, please.

2. Use すみません to get attention, not ちょっと.

ちょっと alone can sound like you are about to complain. すみません、ちょっとお聞きしたいのですが (sumimasen, chotto okikishitai no desu ga) — Excuse me, I would like to ask something — is softer and more complete.

When you do not understand

This is the most important part. If the doctor says something you do not catch, do not nod. Say:

すみません、もう一度（いちど）お願いします。 — Sorry, one more time, please.

Or, more specifically:

ゆっくりお願いします。 — Slowly, please.

If you understand the words but not the meaning, try:

どういう意味（いみ）ですか。 — What does that mean?

Nobody at a hospital in your city will be annoyed by this. They will be relieved you asked.

One thing not to do

Do not borrow the receptionist's keigo and use it back at them. If she says 少々お待ちください (しょうしょうおまちください) — please wait a moment — you do not reply 少々お待ちします. You simply say はい, or わかりました. The same principle from yesterday applies: keigo belongs to the person serving, not always to you.

A note on forms

You will often be handed a questionnaire (問診票, もんしんひょう). It asks things like:

アレルギーはありますか。 — Do you have any allergies?

飲んでいる薬（くすり）はありますか。 — Are you taking any medication?

If the answer is no, say いいえ、ありません。 If yes, name it slowly. You can write なし (none) on the form if that is true.

The goal is not perfect Japanese. The goal is being understood, and being understood kindly.