Korean Hospital and Health Vocabulary: What to Say When You're Sick
Korean Hospital and Health Vocabulary
Getting sick abroad is stressful enough without a language barrier. Chapter 9 covers hospital and health vocabulary — one of the most practical chapters in the curriculum because you might actually need it in an emergency.
Describing Symptoms
The basic pattern for describing pain or discomfort:
Body part + 이/가 + 아파요
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 머리가 아파요 | I have a headache |
| 배가 아파요 | My stomach hurts |
| 목이 아파요 | My throat hurts |
| 이가 아파요 | My tooth hurts |
| 허리가 아파요 | My back hurts |
| 다리가 아파요 | My leg hurts |
More Specific Symptoms
| Korean | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 열이 나요 | yeori nayo | I have a fever |
| 기침이 나요 | gichimi nayo | I have a cough |
| 콧물이 나요 | konmuri nayo | I have a runny nose |
| 어지러워요 | eojireowoyo | I'm dizzy |
| 속이 안 좋아요 | sogi an joayo | I feel nauseous |
| 알레르기가 있어요 | allereugi-ga isseoyo | I have allergies |
| 감기에 걸렸어요 | gamgi-e geollyeosseoyo | I caught a cold |
At the Doctor's Office
What the Doctor Asks
- 어디가 아파요? (Where does it hurt?)
- 언제부터 아팠어요? (Since when has it hurt?)
- 알레르기가 있어요? (Do you have allergies?)
- 약을 먹고 있어요? (Are you taking any medication?)
How to Answer
- 어제부터 머리가 아팠어요 (My head has hurt since yesterday)
- 3일 전부터 기침이 나요 (I've had a cough for 3 days)
- 알레르기는 없어요 (I don't have allergies)
- 지금 약을 안 먹고 있어요 (I'm not taking any medication now)
Grammar: -고 싶다 (want to)
Chapter 9 introduces the desire pattern, which often comes up in health contexts:
Verb stem + -고 싶어요 = I want to (do something)
- 집에서 쉬고 싶어요 (I want to rest at home)
- 약을 먹고 싶어요 (I want to take medicine)
- 병원에 가고 싶어요 (I want to go to the hospital)
Grammar: -(으)세요 (Polite instructions)
Doctors give instructions using -(으)세요:
- 약을 먹으세요 (Please take the medicine)
- 물을 많이 드세요 (Please drink lots of water)
- 푹 쉬세요 (Please rest well)
- 내일 다시 오세요 (Please come back tomorrow)
Pharmacy Vocabulary
After the doctor, you'll need the pharmacy (약국):
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 약국 | Pharmacy |
| 약 | Medicine |
| 처방전 | Prescription |
| 진통제 | Painkiller |
| 감기약 | Cold medicine |
| 소화제 | Digestive medicine |
| 하루에 세 번 | Three times a day |
| 식후에 드세요 | Take after meals |
Emergency Phrases
Memorize these — you might need them without time to look them up:
- 119에 전화해 주세요 (Please call 119) — Korea's emergency number
- 응급실이 어디예요? (Where is the emergency room?)
- 한국어를 잘 못해요 (I can't speak Korean well)
- 통역 서비스가 있어요? (Is there an interpretation service?)
- 여기가 아파요 (It hurts here) — while pointing
Practice on Chamelingo
Chapter 9's exercises simulate doctor visits with dialogue completion, symptom description matching, and listening comprehension where you understand medical instructions. The AI tutor Eunji is particularly good at practicing medical roleplays — she'll play the doctor and you describe your symptoms, and she'll correct your grammar and suggest more natural ways to express what you're feeling. This is one of those chapters where the practical value is immediately obvious.
Review body parts, symptoms, and medical terms in our vocabulary reference so you can describe how you feel before you actually need to at a Korean hospital.