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Japanese Health Kanji: Learn Medical & Body Words in Japanese

Master Japanese health kanji: 病 (illness), 薬 (medicine), 医 (doctor), 痛 (pain), 熱 (fever), 血 (blood), 心 (heart), 歯 (tooth), and more. Each entry includes readings, example sentences, and practical context for travelers and students in Japan.

Japanese Health Kanji at a Glance

Healthcare in Japan

Japan has one of the world's best healthcare systems. Understanding health kanji is essential for reading signs at 病院 (byouin/hospital), buying 薬 (kusuri/medicine) at pharmacies, and communicating symptoms to 医者 (isha/doctors).

Practical for Travelers

If you visit Japan, knowing health kanji can be lifesaving. Pharmacy signs use 薬 (medicine), hospital signs use 病院, and symptoms like 痛い (itai/painful) and 熱 (netsu/fever) are essential for getting help.

JLPT Relevance

Core health kanji like 病 (illness), 薬 (medicine), and 体 (body) appear at JLPT N4-N3. Medical terms like 医 (doctor), 血 (blood), and 歯 (tooth) are common at N3-N2 levels and appear in daily life contexts.

Core Japanese Health & Medical Kanji

These twenty kanji cover essential health vocabulary, from illnesses and symptoms to treatments and body parts.

MeaningKanjiHiraganaRomajiJLPT
Illness病びょうbyouN4
Medicine薬くすりkusuriN4
Doctor医いiN4
Pain痛いたいitaiN3
Fever / Heat熱ねつnetsuN3
Blood血ちchiN3
Heart / Mind心こころkokoroN4
Tooth歯はhaN3
Bone骨ほねhoneN2
Symptom症しょうshouN2
Cure / Heal治なおすnaosuN3
Treatment療りょうryouN2
Healthy健けんkenN3
Peace / Ease康こうkouN3
Examine診しんshinN2
Breath / Rest息いきikiN3
Fatigue疲つかれtsukareN3
Wound / Injury傷きずkizuN2
Vitality元げんgenN4
Nurse護ごgoN2

All Japanese Health Kanji Explained

Explore each health kanji with its readings, origin story, and example sentences used in everyday Japanese.

🏥
病
Illness
びょう (byou)
Origin: 疒 (sickness) + 丙 (third): sickness that confines you to bed

Example:

病気で学校を休みました。

Byouki de gakkou wo yasumimashita.

I was absent from school due to illness.

💊
薬
Medicine
くすり (kusuri)
Origin: 草 (grass/plant) + 楽 (pleasure): plants that bring relief and pleasure

Example:

薬を飲んでください。

Kusuri wo nonde kudasai.

Please take the medicine.

👨‍⚕️
医
Doctor
い (i)
Origin: 匚 (box) + 矢 (arrow): removing an arrow from the body, the first surgery

Example:

医者に診てもらいました。

Isha ni mite moraimashita.

I had a doctor examine me.

😣
痛
Pain
いたい (itai)
Origin: 疒 (sickness) + 甬 (path): sickness that shoots through you like a path of pain

Example:

頭が痛いです。

Atama ga itai desu.

I have a headache.

🌡️
熱
Fever / Heat
ねつ (netsu)
Origin: 埶 (art/skill) + 灬 (fire): heat from fire, burning with fever

Example:

熱が三十八度あります。

Netsu ga sanjuuhachi do arimasu.

I have a fever of 38 degrees.

🩸
血
Blood
ち (chi)
Origin: Pictograph of a ritual vessel (皿) with a drop of blood on top: blood offering

Example:

血液検査を受けました。

Ketsueki kensa wo ukemashita.

I had a blood test.

❤️
心
Heart / Mind
こころ (kokoro)
Origin: Pictograph of a human heart, the center of emotions and consciousness

Example:

心配しないでください。

Shinpai shinaide kudasai.

Please don't worry.

🦷
歯
Tooth
は (ha)
Origin: 止 (stop) + 米 (rice): teeth that stop and grind rice into food

Example:

歯が痛いので歯医者に行きます。

Ha ga itai node haisha ni ikimasu.

My tooth hurts so I'm going to the dentist.

🦴
骨
Bone
ほね (hone)
Origin: 冎 (skeleton) + 月 (flesh): the hard structure within flesh

Example:

骨を折ってしまいました。

Hone wo otte shimaimashita.

I broke a bone.

📋
症
Symptom
しょう (shou)
Origin: 疒 (sickness) + 正 (correct/proper): the correct identification of sickness

Example:

どんな症状がありますか?

Donna shoujou ga arimasu ka?

What symptoms do you have?

✨
治
Cure / Heal
なおす (naosu)
Origin: 氵(water) + 台 (platform): water flowing smoothly, restoring balance to the body

Example:

風邪が治りました。

Kaze ga naorimashita.

My cold has been cured.

🏨
療
Treatment
りょう (ryou)
Origin: 疒 (sickness) + 尞 (burn): burning away sickness through treatment

Example:

治療には時間がかかります。

Chiryou ni wa jikan ga kakarimasu.

Treatment takes time.

💪
健
Healthy
けん (ken)
Origin: 亻(person) + 建 (build): a person who is well-built and strong

Example:

健康のために運動しています。

Kenkou no tame ni undou shite imasu.

I exercise for my health.

😌
康
Peace / Ease
こう (kou)
Origin: 广 (shelter) + 隶 (slave/servant): peaceful ease under shelter

Example:

健康が一番大切です。

Kenkou ga ichiban taisetsu desu.

Health is the most important thing.

🔍
診
Examine
しん (shin)
Origin: 言 (words) + 㐱 (hair pattern): examining by asking and observing patterns

Example:

診察の予約をお願いします。

Shinsatsu no yoyaku wo onegai shimasu.

I'd like to make an appointment for an examination.

🌬️
息
Breath / Rest
いき (iki)
Origin: 自 (self) + 心 (heart): the self and heart breathing together

Example:

深く息を吸ってください。

Fukaku iki wo sutte kudasai.

Please take a deep breath.

😫
疲
Fatigue
つかれ (tsukare)
Origin: 疒 (sickness) + 皮 (skin): when even your skin feels sick with exhaustion

Example:

今日はとても疲れました。

Kyou wa totemo tsukaremashita.

I'm very tired today.

🩹
傷
Wound / Injury
きず (kizu)
Origin: 亻(person) + 昜 (raise) + 刀 implied: a person hurt, bearing a wound

Example:

傷の手当てをしました。

Kizu no teate wo shimashita.

I treated the wound.

⚡
元
Vitality
げん (gen)
Origin: 二 (two) + 儿 (legs): a person standing on a foundation, full of energy

Example:

元気ですか?

Genki desu ka?

How are you? (Are you well?)

🛡️
護
Nurse / Protect
ご (go)
Origin: 言 (words) + 蒦 (seize): protecting with words and actions

Example:

看護師さんがとても親切でした。

Kangoshi-san ga totemo shinsetsu deshita.

The nurse was very kind.

Japanese Health Kanji by Category

Japanese health vocabulary spans symptoms, treatments, body parts, and medical facilities. Understanding these categories helps you navigate healthcare situations in Japan.

🤒
Illness & Symptoms
病気と症状 (byouki to shoujou)

The foundation of health communication: 病 (illness), 痛 (pain), 熱 (fever), and 症 (symptom). These kanji are essential for describing how you feel to a doctor or pharmacist in Japan.

🏥 病 byou😣 痛 tsuu🌡️ 熱 netsu📋 症 shou
💊
Treatment & Medicine
治療と薬 (chiryou to kusuri)

Treatment kanji cover healing and medicine: 薬 (medicine), 医 (doctor), 治 (cure), and 療 (treatment). These appear on pharmacy signs, medicine labels, and hospital departments throughout Japan.

💊 薬 kusuri👨‍⚕️ 医 i✨ 治 chi🏨 療 ryou
🫀
Body & Organs
体と臓器 (karada to zouki)

Body-related kanji are used constantly in medical contexts: 心 (heart), 血 (blood), 歯 (tooth), and 骨 (bone). Many of these contain the 月 (flesh/body) radical, a key clue for identifying body-related kanji.

❤️ 心 kokoro🩸 血 chi🦷 歯 ha🦴 骨 hone
🧘
Wellness & Recovery
健康と回復 (kenkou to kaifuku)

Wellness kanji focus on positive health: 健 (healthy), 康 (peace/ease), 元 (origin/vitality), and 息 (breath/rest). Japan's culture of 健康 (kenkou/health) extends from hot springs to balanced diets.

💪 健 ken😌 康 kou⚡ 元 gen🌬️ 息 iki

Essential Phrases at a Japanese Hospital

If you ever need medical help in Japan, these phrases using health kanji will help you communicate with doctors and nurses.

SituationJapaneseReadingEnglish
Describing pain頭が痛いですatama ga itai desuI have a headache
Having a fever熱がありますnetsu ga arimasuI have a fever
Asking for medicine薬をくださいkusuri wo kudasaiPlease give me medicine
Going to hospital病院に行きたいですbyouin ni ikitai desuI want to go to the hospital
Feeling sick気分が悪いですkibun ga warui desuI feel sick
Allergy infoアレルギーがありますarerugii ga arimasuI have allergies
Emergency救急車を呼んでくださいkyuukyuusha wo yonde kudasaiPlease call an ambulance
Stomach painお腹が痛いですonaka ga itai desuI have a stomach ache

Health-Related Compound Words (Jukugo)

These compound words combine health kanji to create essential vocabulary for talking about medicine, hospitals, and wellness in Japanese.

CompoundReadingMeaning
病院byouinHospital (illness + institution)
病気byoukiIllness/sickness (illness + spirit)
医者ishaDoctor (medicine + person)
薬局yakkyokuPharmacy (medicine + bureau)
健康kenkouHealth (healthy + ease)
治療chiryouMedical treatment (cure + treatment)
診察shinsatsuMedical examination (examine + inspect)
症状shoujouSymptoms (symptom + condition)
看護師kangoshiNurse (watch + protect + master)
血液ketsuekiBlood (blood + fluid)
歯医者haishaDentist (tooth + doctor)
元気genkiHealthy/energetic (vitality + spirit)

Tips for Remembering Japanese Health Kanji

The Illness Radical (疒)

The radical 疒 (yamaihidare/sickness radical) appears in many health kanji: 病 (illness), 痛 (pain), 症 (symptom), and 療 (treatment). When you see this radical wrapping around the top-left of a kanji, it almost always relates to sickness or medical conditions.

The Body Radical (月/肉)

The radical 月 in body-related kanji actually comes from 肉 (meat/flesh), not 月 (moon). You'll find it in 骨 (bone), and many other body parts. This "flesh moon" radical is one of the most useful patterns for identifying body and health kanji.

Visit a Japanese Pharmacy

Japanese drugstores (薬局/yakkyoku) are treasure troves of health kanji. Medicine labels use 薬 (medicine), 痛 (pain), and 熱 (fever). Reading product packaging is excellent real-world practice for health vocabulary.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say hospital in Japanese?

Hospital in Japanese is 病院 (byouin). It combines 病 (byou = illness) and 院 (in = institution), literally meaning "illness institution." Japanese hospitals range from large 総合病院 (sougou byouin, general hospitals) to small 診療所 (shinryoujo, clinics). You can also visit a 薬局 (yakkyoku, pharmacy) for over-the-counter medicine.

What kanji should I know for visiting a doctor in Japan?

Essential kanji for medical visits: 病 (illness), 医 (doctor), 薬 (medicine), 痛 (pain), 熱 (fever), 診 (examine), and 症 (symptom). Key phrases include 痛いです (itai desu, it hurts), 熱があります (netsu ga arimasu, I have a fever), and 薬をください (kusuri wo kudasai, please give me medicine). Many hospitals have multilingual support, but knowing these kanji helps tremendously.

What is the sickness radical in Japanese kanji?

The sickness radical is 疒 (yamaihidare), which looks like a roof with two diagonal strokes. It appears in health kanji like 病 (illness), 痛 (pain), 症 (symptom), 療 (treatment), and 疲 (fatigue). When you spot this radical wrapping around the top-left of any kanji, it almost always indicates a connection to illness, disease, or medical conditions. It's one of the most reliable radicals for guessing meaning.

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