Japanese for Describing Symptoms and Severity at the Doctor
Learn to describe where it hurts, how much it hurts, and how long it has lasted in Japanese, using が/は, くらい/ほど, and duration expressions.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
At an intermediate level, saying アレルギーがあります is not enough at a clinic. You need to say which part hurts, how intense the pain is, when it started, and whether it is getting better or worse. This lesson teaches the core patterns for symptom description: が for the affected body part, くらい/ほど for degree, 〜前から for duration, and 〜くなる for change over time. You will also learn polite forms used with doctors and nurses, so you can answer follow-up questions without switching to English.
By the end, you can…
- name a body part and say it hurts using 〜が痛いです.
- rate pain or severity with 少し, かなり, ひどく, and 〜くらい/〜ほど.
- say when a symptom started with 〜前から and describe change with 〜くなりました.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
昨日から喉が痛いです。
My throat has hurt since yesterday.
Kinō kara nodo ga itai desu.
Use 〜から with a time point to show when the symptom started. が marks the body part as the subject of 痛い.
頭がズキズキします。
My head is throbbing.
Atama ga zukizuki shimasu.
ズキズキ is a mimetic word for throbbing pain. It sounds natural and specific, not overly casual.
痛みはどのくらいひどいですか。
How bad is the pain?
Itami wa dono kurai hidoi desu ka.
A doctor may ask this. どのくらい asks about degree; ひどい describes severity.
立っていられないほどではありません。
It is not so bad that I cannot stand.
Tatte irarenai hodo de wa arimasen.
〜ほど〜ない expresses 'not to the extent that.' Useful for denying extreme severity politely.
今朝から少し楽になりました。
It has gotten a little better since this morning.
Kesa kara sukoshi raku ni narimashita.
楽になる means 'to become less painful/easier.' Use it to report improvement.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic symptom frame is [body part] が [sensation] です. For example, お腹が痛いです (My stomach hurts) or 背中がかゆいです (My back itches). To add severity, place an adverb before the adjective: 少し痛いです (hurts a little), かなり痛いです (hurts quite a bit), ひどく痛いです (hurts badly). For change over time, use the 〜くなる pattern: 痛くなりました (it became painful), 楽になりました (it became easier). To set a starting point, use 〜前から or 〜から: 三日前から (since three days ago), 昨夜から (since last night).
When to use it
Use が when you introduce the affected part as new information, especially in answer to どうしましたか (What seems to be the problem?). Use は when contrasting or returning to a topic already mentioned: 喉は大丈夫ですが、頭は痛いです (My throat is fine, but my head hurts). Use 〜くらい/〜ほど when comparing severity: 眠れないくらい痛いです (It hurts to the point that I cannot sleep). Avoid とても痛い for sharp pain; とても is more natural with pleasant or neutral adjectives. For medical settings, ひどい痛み or 激しい痛み are more precise than とても痛い.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
今日はどうしましたか。
What brings you in today?Kyō wa dō shimashita ka.三日前からお腹が痛いです。昨日から少し吐き気もあります。
My stomach has hurt since three days ago. Since yesterday I also have some nausea.Mikka mae kara onaka ga itai desu. Kinō kara sukoshi hakike mo arimasu.痛みはどのくらいひどいですか。歩けますか。
How bad is the pain? Can you walk?Itami wa dono kurai hidoi desu ka. Arukemasu ka.歩けないほどではありませんが、立つと痛みが強くなります。
It is not so bad that I cannot walk, but when I stand up the pain gets stronger.Arukenai hodo de wa arimasen ga, tatsu to itami ga tsuyoku narimasu.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese clinics, patients often understate pain to avoid seeming demanding. Using 少し or まあまあ is common, but if the pain is serious, say かなり or ひどい clearly. Doctors may ask 痛みはどのくらいですか and expect a number from 1 to 10, so be ready to say 七くらいです (about a seven). Politeness here means being clear, not dramatic; 〜ほどではありません is a useful way to deny extreme severity without sounding rude.
One thing to watch for
Saying とても痛いです for severe pain in a medical context.
Try this instead: とても痛い is grammatically fine but vague and slightly casual for a clinic. Use ひどく痛いです or 激しい痛みがあります for severe pain, and 少し痛いです or 軽い痛みです for mild pain. For example: 昨夜からひどく痛いです (It has hurt badly since last night).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'My throat has hurt since yesterday'?
Show a sample answer
昨日から喉が痛いです。
昨日から sets the starting point, 喉 is the body part, が marks it, and 痛いです describes the symptom. 喉は痛いです is also possible if contrasting with another part.
2A doctor asks 痛みはどのくらいひどいですか。 Give a natural answer saying it is not so bad that you cannot sleep.
Show a sample answer
眠れないほどではありません。
〜ほどではありません denies the extreme degree. 眠れないほど痛いです would mean it is so bad you cannot sleep; adding ではありません reverses it. そこまでひどくありません is also acceptable.
3How do you say 'It has gotten a little better since this morning'?
Show a sample answer
今朝から少し楽になりました。
楽になりました expresses improvement. 少し softens the degree. 今朝から marks the starting point. よくなりました is also correct but more general.
Describe symptoms with [body part] が [sensation], rate severity with 少し/かなり/ひどく, set the start time with 〜から, and show change with 〜くなりました or 楽になりました.
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