Arabic Health Vocabulary: Talking to a Doctor or Pharmacist

Falling ill abroad is stressful, and language barriers make it worse. Knowing a few key Arabic words can make the difference in a pharmacy, clinic or emergency.

People and places

• طبيب / دكتور (tabib / duktur) — doctor
• ممرض / ممرضة (mumarrid / mumarrida) — nurse
• صيدلي (saydali) — pharmacist
• مستشفى (mustashfa) — hospital
• صيدلية (saydaliya) — pharmacy
• عيادة ('iyada) — clinic

Symptoms

• ألم (alam) — pain
• صداع (suda') — headache
• حمى / حرارة (humma / harara) — fever
• سعال (su'al) — cough
• زكام (zukam) — cold
• غثيان (ghathayan) — nausea
• إسهال (ishal) — diarrhoea
• دوخة (dawkha) — dizziness

Body parts

• رأس (ra's) — head
• حلق (halq) — throat
• بطن (batn) — stomach or belly
• ظهر (zahr) — back
• صدر (sadr) — chest
• يد (yad) — hand
• رجل (rijl) — leg or foot
• عين ('ayn) — eye
• أذن (udhun) — ear
• سن (sinn) — tooth

Useful sentences

• أنا مريض / مريضة (ana marid / marida) — I am sick.
• عندي ألم في… ('indi alam fi…) — I have pain in…
• عندي حساسية من البنسلين ('indi hassasiya min al-bunisilin) — I am allergic to penicillin.
• أحتاج إلى طبيب (ahtaj ila tabib) — I need a doctor.
• أين أقرب صيدلية؟ (ayna aqrab saydaliya?) — Where is the nearest pharmacy?

Medicines

• دواء (dawa') — medicine
• حبوب (hubub) — pills
• شراب (sharab) — syrup
• مضاد حيوي (mudadd hayawi) — antibiotic
• مسكن ألم (musakkin alam) — painkiller

Emergencies

• طوارئ (tawari') — emergency
• إسعاف (is'af) — ambulance
• ساعدني! (sa'idni!) — Help me!

Emergency numbers vary by country, so check the number for your destination before you travel.

Practical advice

Pharmacists in many Arab countries can advise on minor ailments, but it's wise to carry a list of your medications in both English and Arabic, including the generic names. Keep any allergy information written down.