Chinese Health Vocabulary: Body Parts, Symptoms and the Pharmacy

Being able to describe how you feel matters most when you're unwell. This guide covers what you're most likely to need in a hospital, clinic or pharmacy.

Body parts

• 头 (tóu) — head
• 眼睛 (yǎnjing) — eyes
• 耳朵 (ěrduo) — ears
• 鼻子 (bízi) — nose
• 嘴 (zuǐ) — mouth
• 牙 (yá) — tooth
• 喉咙 (hóulóng) — throat
• 手 (shǒu) — hand
• 脚 (jiǎo) — foot
• 腿 (tuǐ) — leg
• 背 (bèi) — back
• 胃 (wèi) — stomach
• 肚子 (dùzi) — belly

Symptoms

• 发烧 (fāshāo) — fever
• 头疼 (tóuténg) — headache
• 咳嗽 (késou) — cough
• 感冒 (gǎnmào) — cold
• 肚子疼 (dùzi téng) — stomachache
• 拉肚子 (lā dùzi) — diarrhoea
• 恶心 (ěxin) — nausea
• 过敏 (guòmǐn) — allergy
• 头晕 (tóuyūn) — dizzy

People and places

• 医生 (yīshēng) — doctor
• 护士 (hùshi) — nurse
• 医院 (yīyuàn) — hospital
• 药店 (yàodiàn) — pharmacy
• 药 (yào) — medicine
• 急诊 (jízhěn) — emergency department
• 救护车 (jiùhùchē) — ambulance

Useful sentences

• 我不舒服。 (Wǒ bù shūfu.) — I don't feel well.
• 我头疼。 (Wǒ tóu téng.) — I have a headache.
• 我发烧了。 (Wǒ fāshāo le.) — I have a fever.
• 我对青霉素过敏。 (Wǒ duì qīngméisù guòmǐn.) — I'm allergic to penicillin.
• 这里疼。 (Zhèlǐ téng.) — It hurts here.
• 我需要看医生。 (Wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng.) — I need to see a doctor.

At the pharmacy

• 有退烧药吗？ (Yǒu tuìshāoyào ma?) — Do you have fever medicine?
• 这个药怎么吃？ (Zhège yào zěnme chī?) — How do I take this medicine?
• 一天三次，饭后吃。 (Yì tiān sān cì, fàn hòu chī.) — Three times a day, after meals.

Hospital process

In many Chinese hospitals, patients first register (挂号, guàhào), then see a doctor, pay (缴费, jiǎofèi) and collect medicine. Many hospitals use apps or kiosks for registration. It helps to bring your passport and have a translation app.

Emergency numbers

In mainland China, the general emergency numbers are 120 for an ambulance, 110 for the police and 119 for fire. Check that these are current for your destination before travelling.