Emergencies and Health: Getting Help Fast and Communicating Symptoms

Emergency Phrase Checklist (Say It First, Then Add Details)

In an emergency, speed matters more than perfect grammar. Use short, loud, clear phrases. If you can, start with: (1) what you need (police/ambulance/help), (2) where you are, (3) what happened, (4) injuries/symptoms, (5) your name and phone number.

Immediate “Get Help Now” Phrases

• Tasukete! (Help!)
• Kyuukyuu desu! (It’s an emergency!)
• Keisatsu o yonde kudasai. (Please call the police.)
• Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai. (Please call an ambulance.)
• Isha o yonde kudasai. (Please call a doctor.)
• 119 ni denwa shite kudasai. (Please call 119.)
• 110 ni denwa shite kudasai. (Please call 110.)

Numbers: Hyaku juu kyuu = 119 (ambulance/fire). Hyaku juu = 110 (police).

Location: Simple Patterns That Work Under Stress

Use one of these frames and fill in a landmark, station name, hotel name, or a visible sign.

• Watashi wa ___ ni imasu. (I am at __.)
• ___ no mae desu. (I’m in front of __.)
• ___ no chikaku desu. (Near __.)
• ___ eki desu. (It’s __ Station.)
• ___ hoteru desu. (It’s __ Hotel.)

If you can show your phone, add: Koko desu. (Here.) while pointing at the map.

What Happened: Quick Cause Words

• Korobimashita. (I fell.)
• Butukarimashita. (I collided / got hit.)
• Kega shimashita. (I’m injured.)
• Chi ga demasu. (I’m bleeding.)
• Iki ga shinikui desu. (It’s hard to breathe.)
• Ugoemasen. (I can’t move.)
• Mayotte imasu. (I’m lost.)

Critical Add-ons (If You Can Say One More Sentence)

• Namae wa ___ desu. (My name is __.)
• Denwa bangou wa ___ desu. (My phone number is __.)
• Pasupooto o motte imasu. (I have my passport.)
• Eigo wa sukoshi dake desu. (Only a little English.)
• Nihongo ga amari hanasemasen. (I can’t speak much Japanese.)

Core Symptom Patterns (Build Almost Anything)

These three patterns cover most urgent symptom communication. Keep them short and repeatable.

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Intensity helpers: sukoshi (a little), totemo (very), hidoi (severe), kyuu ni (suddenly).

Time helpers: kyou (today), kinou (yesterday), ___ nichi mae kara (since __ days ago), ___ jikan mae kara (since __ hours ago).

Example building: Kinou kara netsu ga arimasu. (I’ve had a fever since yesterday.) Kyuu ni onaka ga itai desu. (My stomach suddenly hurts.)

Symptom Language by Body Area (Grab-and-Go)

Head / Face

• Atama ga itai desu. (Headache.)
• Memai ga shimasu. (I feel dizzy.)
• Hakike ga shimasu. (I feel nauseous.)
• Me ga itai desu. (My eye hurts.)
• Ha ga itai desu. (Toothache.)
• Nose ga demasu. (I have a nosebleed.)

Throat / Chest / Breathing

• Nodo ga itai desu. (Sore throat.)
• Se ga demasu. (I have a cough.)
• Mune ga itai desu. (Chest pain.)
• Iki ga kurushii desu. (I’m short of breath.)
• Zensoku ga arimasu. (I have asthma.)

Stomach / Digestion

• Onaka ga itai desu. (Stomachache.)
• Hara ga kudatte imasu. (I have diarrhea.)
• Hakisou desu. (I feel like I might vomit.)
• Haitemashita. (I vomited.)
• Shokuyoku ga arimasen. (No appetite.)

Back / Muscles / Joints

• Koshi ga itai desu. (Lower back hurts.)
• Kata ga itai desu. (Shoulder hurts.)
• Hiza ga itai desu. (Knee hurts.)
• Nechigai mashita. (I sprained it / twisted it.)

Skin / Allergies

• Kayui desu. (It’s itchy.)
• Harete imasu. (It’s swollen.)
• Hoshin ga demashita. (I have a rash.)
• Arerugii ga arimasu. (I have allergies.)
• Kusuri de arerugii ga demasu. (I’m allergic to some medicines.)

Injury / Bleeding

• Kirete imasu. (It’s cut.)
• Aza ga dekite imasu. (I have a bruise.)
• Chi ga tomaranai desu. (The bleeding won’t stop.)
• Hone o orimashita. (I broke a bone.)

Pharmacy and Clinic: What to Ask (and What They’ll Ask You)

At a Pharmacy (Yakkyoku / Kusuriya)

Pharmacies can help with common issues and recommend over-the-counter medicine. Use these to get the right product safely.

• Kusuri ga hoshii desu. (I want medicine.)
• ___ ni kiku kusuri wa arimasu ka? (Do you have medicine that works for __?)
• Itami-dome wa arimasu ka? (Do you have painkillers?)
• Netsu-sage wa arimasu ka? (Do you have fever reducer?)
• Kaze gusuri wa arimasu ka? (Cold medicine?)
• Shippu wa arimasu ka? (Pain-relief patches?)
• Arerugii ga arimasu. (I have allergies.)
• ___ ni arerugii ga arimasu. (I’m allergic to __.)

Dosage understanding (must-ask):

• Ikura nomimasu ka? (How much do I take?)
• Ichinichi nankai desu ka? (How many times a day?)
• Itsu nomimasu ka? (When do I take it?)
• Shokuzen? Shokugo? (Before meals? After meals?)
• Nan-nichikan desu ka? (For how many days?)
• Nemuku narimasu ka? (Will it make me sleepy?)

Useful words: fukuyou (taking medicine), shokugo (after meals), shokuzen (before meals), nomu (to take [medicine]), nuru (to apply), haru (to stick on, e.g., patches).

At a Clinic / Hospital (Kurinikku / Byouin)

Clinics and hospitals will often confirm identity, symptoms, timing, and allergies. Keep answers short; you can mix Japanese + English + pointing.

• Byouin ni ikitai desu. (I want to go to a hospital.)
• Kurinikku wa doko desu ka? (Where is a clinic?)
• Shinsatsu shite kudasai. (Please examine me.)
• Koko ga itai desu. (It hurts here.)
• Itsu kara desu ka? (Since when?)
• ___ kara desu. (Since __.)
• Kusuri o nonde imasu. (I’m taking medicine.)
• Ninshin shite imasen. (I’m not pregnant.) / Ninshin shiteimasu. (I’m pregnant.)

What responders/medical staff may ask (prepare these):

• Doko ga itai desu ka? (Where does it hurt?)
• Itsu kara desu ka? (Since when?)
• Dooshite desu ka? (How/why did it happen?)
• Netsu wa arimasu ka? (Do you have a fever?)
• Arerugii wa arimasu ka? (Any allergies?)
• Kusuri wa nondeimasu ka? (Are you taking any medicine?)
• Hoken wa arimasu ka? (Do you have insurance?)

Short Dialogues (Pharmacy / Clinic)

Dialogue 1: Pharmacy (Fever + Allergy + Dosage)

A: Sumimasen. Netsu ga arimasu. Kusuri ga hoshii desu. (Excuse me. I have a fever. I want medicine.)
B: Itsu kara desu ka? (Since when?)
A: Kinou kara desu. (Since yesterday.)
B: Arerugii wa arimasu ka? (Any allergies?)
A: Hai. Penishirin ni arerugii ga arimasu. (Yes. I’m allergic to penicillin.)
B: Wakari mashita. Kore wa ikura nomimasu ka? (Okay. How much do you take?)
A: Ikura nomimasu ka? Ichinichi nankai desu ka? (How much? How many times a day?)
B: Ichikai 2-jou, ichinichi 3-kai, shokugo desu. (2 tablets each time, 3 times a day, after meals.)

Dialogue 2: Clinic (Stomach Pain + Timing + Severity)

A: Sumimasen. Onaka ga itai desu. Kibun ga warui desu. (Excuse me. My stomach hurts. I feel sick.)
B: Itsu kara desu ka? (Since when?)
A: Kyou no asa kara desu. Kyuu ni itaku narimashita. (Since this morning. It suddenly started hurting.)
B: Netsu wa arimasu ka? (Do you have a fever?)
A: Sukoshi arimasu. (A little.)
B: Doko ga itai desu ka? (Where does it hurt?)
A: Koko desu. (Here.)

Minimal Japanese Plan (Nouns + Numbers + Pain)

If you can’t form sentences, you can still communicate effectively with a strict “minimum set.” Use: body part + itai, numbers, and time words, plus pointing.

Step-by-step: The 10-second Emergency Script

1. Get action: Kyuukyuusha! or Keisatsu! or Tasukete!
2. Show location: point to map + Koko (here) + landmark noun (e.g., ___ eki, ___ hoteru)
3. Body part + pain: Atama itai / Mune itai / Onaka itai (dropping particles is okay)
4. Severity number: show fingers + juu no uchi ___ (out of 10, __) or just say the number
5. Time: kyou / kinou / ___ jikan / ___ nichi

Minimal Vocabulary Pack (Memorize These)

Cultural Notes: Calling for Help and What to Expect

• Emergency numbers: In Japan, 119 is for ambulance/fire, 110 is for police. If you’re unsure, ask someone nearby: Denwa shite kudasai (Please call) and show 119 or 110 on your screen.
• Clear, factual answers: Responders often ask for location first, then what happened, then injury/symptoms, then name/phone. Short, concrete phrases are appreciated.
• Pointing is normal: Point to the painful area, show a map pin, show medication packaging, and show allergy info on your phone. Combining gestures with simple Japanese is common and effective.
• Medication caution: Staff may ask about allergies and current medicines; it’s acceptable to say Wakarimasen (I don’t know) and show what you have. Always confirm dosage with Ichinichi nankai (times per day) and Itsu (when).
• Staying together: If traveling with someone, have them speak if possible; otherwise say Hitori desu (I’m alone) and keep your phone accessible for contact details.