If you are studying medicine or working in healthcare, it is important to know Japanese-specific technical vocabulary. This can help you better communicate with Japanese colleagues, better understand patient instructions and notes, and provide quality medical care.
In this article, we'll introduce you to some of the top words related to medicine and health in Japanese, separated by categories, to help you expand your vocabulary and improve your Japanese communication skills.
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Table of Contents
General medical in Japanese
Below we have included a list of Japanese medical that may be useful for anyone working in the healthcare field or for anyone in need of medical assistance. These can help you better understand medical conditions, tests and treatments, as well as communicating with healthcare professionals.
- Doctor (isha) - doctor
- 看護師 (kangoshi) - nurse
- Medical care (iryō) - medical care
- 病気 (byōki) - disease
- 治療 (chiryō) - treatment
- 診察 (shinsatsu) - medical examination
- Prescription (shohōsen) - medical prescription
- Symptoms (shōjō) - symptom
- Medicine (igaku) - medicine
- Nursing (kango) - nursing
- Pharmacist (yakuzai-shi) - pharmaceutical
- Nursing Record (kango kiroku) - nursing record
- 疾患 (shikkan) - disease / medical condition
- Inspection - exam / test
- End-of-life care (kantori) - palliative care
- Death Certificate (shibō shindan-sho) - death certificate
- Infectious disease (kansensho) - infectious disease
- Mental disorder (seishin shōgai) - mental disorder
- Disease (shikkan) - medical condition
- Diagnosis (shindan) - diagnostic
- Vaccination (yobō sesshu) - preventive vaccination
- Operating Room (shujutsu-shitsu) - operating room
- Rehabilitation - rehabilitation
- Donor - donor
- Radiograph (rentogen) - x-ray
- Full breathing (furunēshon) - breathing with deep inhalation and forced exhalation
- Electrocardiogram (shin denzu) - electrocardiogram
- Blood type (ketsueki-gata) - blood type
- Inspection - examination
- Nursing (kango) - nursing
- Hospital (hosupitaru) - hospital
- Medical - doctor
- Staff - team
- Health center (hokenjo) - health post
- Pharmacy (yakkyoku) - pharmacy
- Home medical care (zaitaku iryō) - home medical care
- Patient (kanja) - patient
Medical Specialties in Japanese
Medicine is a vast and complex area, with several medical specialties. Below is a list of medical specialties in Japanese, to better understand the different areas of medicine and the diseases and conditions each one treats.
- 歯科医 (shika-i) - dental surgeon
- pediatrician - pediatra
- Internal Medicine Doctor (naika-i) - internist
- Surgeon - cirurgião
- Ophthalmologist (ganka-i) - ophthalmologist
- ENT doctor (jibiinkōka-i) - otorhinolaryngologist
- Dermatologist (hifuka-i) - dermatologista
- Psychiatrist (seishinka-i) - psychiatrist
- Cardiologist - cardiologista
- Gastroenterologist (shōkaki ka-i) - gastroenterologist
- Neurologist - neurologist
- Neurosurgeon (nōshinkei geka-i) - neurosurgeon
- Urologist (hinyōkika-i) - urologist
- 腫瘍内科医 (shuyō naika-i) - oncologist
- Orthopedic surgeon (seikei geka-i) - orthopedist
- Radiologist (hōshasenka-i) - radiologist
- Rehabilitation physician (rihabiritēshon-i) - physiatrist / rehabilitation doctor
- 麻酔科医 (masui-ka-i) - anesthesiologist
- Obstetrician (sanka-i) - obstetrician
- 看護師 (kangoshi) - nurse
- Otolaryngology (jibiinkōka) - otolaryngology
- 麻酔科 (masuika) - anesthesiology
- Cardiovascular Surgery (shinzō kekkan geka) - cardiovascular surgery
- Ophthalmology (ganka) - ophthalmology
- 小児外科 (shōnika geka) - pediatric surgery
- Sports Medicine - sports medicine
- Respiratory Department (kokyūkika) - pneumology
- Dermatology (hifuka) - dermatology
- palliative care - cuidados paliativos
- 泌尿器科 (hinyōkika) - urology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (sanfujinka) - gynecology and obstetrics
- Nutritionist - nutricionista
- Emergency Medical Services (kyūkyū iryō) - emergency medicine
- Disaster Medicine (saigai iryō) - disaster medicine
- 看護学 (kangogaku) - nursing
- Pharmacist (yakuzaishi) - pharmacist
- Clinical Laboratory Technician (rinshō kensa gishi) - clinical laboratory technician
- Radiologic Technologist (hōshasen gishi) - radiology technician
- 臨床心理士 (rinshō shinri-shi) - clinical psychologist
Diseases in Japanese
Diseases affect millions of people around the world with a major impact on health and quality of life. In this topic, we have included a list of common illnesses in Japanese.
- 癌 (gan) - cancer
- Pneumonia (haien) - pneumonia
- 糖尿病 (tōnyōbyō) - diabetes mellitus
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- 肝炎 (kanen) - hepatitis
- Infectious disease (kansenshō) - infectious disease
- Allergy (arerugī) - allergy
- Angina (kyōshinshō) - angina
- Atherosclerosis (dōmyaku kōkashō) - atherosclerosis
- High blood pressure (kōketsuatsu) - arterial hypertension
- Heart failure (shin fuzen) - heart insufficiency
- 脳梗塞 (nōkōsoku) - ischemic stroke (IS)
- Alzheimer's disease - doença de Alzheimer
- Mental disorder (seishin shōgai) - mental disorder
- Prostate cancer (zenritsuen gan) - prostate cancer
- Schizophrenia (tōgō shitsujōshō) - schizophrenia
- うつ病 (utsu byō) - depression
- 認知症 (ninchi shō) - dementia
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Asthma (zensoku) - asthma
- Atopic Dermatitis (アトピー性皮膚炎) - atopic dermatitis
- 関節炎 (kansetsu-en) - artrite
- Gout (tsūfū) - gout
- Alcoholism (arukōru ison-shō) - alcoholism
- tenkan - epilepsy
- Balance disorder (shitchōshō) - balance disturbance
- Ataxia - 運動失調 (undōshitchō)
- Parkinson's disease - Parkinson's disease
- クローン病 (kurōn-byō) - Crohn's disease
- Peptic ulcer (shōkasei kaiyō) - peptic ulcer
- Glaucoma (ryokunai shō) - glaucoma
- Psoriasis (kanzen) - psoriasis
- Spinal Disease (sekitsui shikkan) - spinal column disease
- Autoimmune disease (jiko men'eki shikkan) - autoimmune disease
- Sleep Apnea Syndrome (suimin-ji mukokyū shōkōgun) - obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)
- Menieres disease (meniēru-byō) - Menière's disease
- Retinal detachment (mōmaku hakuri) - retinal detachment
- Asthmatic bronchitis (zensoku-sei kikan-shien) - asthmatic bronchitis
- 膠原病 (kōgen-byō) - collagen disease
- Giant cell arteritis (kyodai saibō dōmyaku en) - giant cell arteritis
Anatomy in Japanese
Anatomy is the study of the structures of the human body and their relationships. Below we have included a list of Japanese anatomy that may be helpful in better understanding the human body and its parts, such as bones, muscles, organs, tissues, and systems.
- 頭 (atama) - head
- Chest (mune) - thorax
- 肋骨 (rokkotsu) - rib
- お腹 (onaka) - abdomen
- Kidney (jinzō) - rim
- 肝臓 (kanzō) - liver
- Pancreas (suizō) - pancreas
- Large intestine - colon
- Small intestine (shōchō) - small intestine
- 膀胱 (bōkō) - bladder
- Uterus (shikyū) - uterus
- Ovary (ransō) - ovary
- 睾丸 (kōgan) - testicle
- Back (senaka) - costas
- 腰 (koshi) - lower back
- Pelvis (kokan) - pelvis
- ankle (ashikubi) - ankle
- 膝 (hiza) - knee
- Femur (daitaikotsu) - femur
- Scapula - omoplata
- 鎖骨 (sakotsu) - clavicle
- Radius (tōkotsu) - radio
- Ulna - 尺骨 (shakkotsu)
- Bone marrow (kotsuzui) - bone marrow
- Muscle (kin'niku) - muscle
- 神経 (shinkei) - nerve
- 血管 (ketsugan) - blood vessel
Medicines and Treatments in Japanese
Medicines and treatments are important tools for treating and preventing disease and improving people's health. See a list of common Japanese medicines and treatments.
- Antibiotic (kōsei butsushitsu) - antibiotic
- 鎮痛剤 (chintsūzai) - pain reliever
- Antidepressant (kōutsu-zai) - antidepressant
- Diuretic (rin'yō-zai) - diuretic
- 抗ヒスタミン剤 (kō hisutamin-zai) - antihistamine
- Anticancer drug (kō gan-zai) - chemotherapy
- Thrombolytic therapy (kessen yōkai ryōhō) - thrombolysis therapy
- Antianxiety medication (kō fuan-zai) - anxiolytic
- 抗炎症剤 (kō enshō-zai) - anti-inflammatory
- Intravenous injection (jōmyaku chūsha) - intravenous injection
- Subcutaneous injection (hika chūsha) - subcutaneous injection
- Oral istration (keikō tōyo) - oral istration
- Intravenous drip (tenteki) - intravenous drip
- 麻酔 (masui) - anesthesia
- 血液の輸血 (yuketsu) - blood transfusion
- 手術 (shujutsu) - surgery
- Radiation therapy (hōshasen chiryō) - radiotherapy
- Psychotherapy (seishin ryōhō) - psychological therapy
- Rehabilitation - rehabilitation
- 膝関節置換術 (hiza kansetsu chikan jutsu) - total knee replacement
- 鼻腔拡張術 (bikō kakuchō jutsu) - nasal septum deviation surgery
- 眼圧降下剤 (gan'atsu kōka zai) - eye drops for lowering intraocular pressure
- Antiarrhythmic (kōfu seimyaku zai) - antiarrhythmic
- Thromboembolism treatment drug (kessentō sasen-shō chiryō yaku) - anticoagulant
- Hypnotherapy (saimin ryōhō) - therapeutic hypnosis
- 漢方薬 (kanpō yaku) - traditional Chinese medicine
- Vaccine (wakuchin) - vaccine
- Antiepileptic drug (kō tenkan yaku) - anticonvulsant
- Antiviral drugs (kō byōgen-tai yaku) - antiviral
- Artificial ventilator (jinkō kokyūki) - mechanical ventilator
- cataract surgery (hakunai shō shujutsu) - cataract surgery
- Dialysis - diálise
- Plasma Exchange (kesshō kōkan) - blood plasma exchange
- Ultrasound therapy (chōonpa chiryō) - ultrasound therapy
- Muscle relaxant (kin chihankan zai) - muscle relaxant
- Artificial dialysis (jinkō tōseki) - artificial dialysis
- Plasma fractionation preparation (kesshō bunka seizai) - plasmaferesis
- Steroid medication (suteroido yaku) - corticosteroid
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - terapia cognitivo-comportamental
