Health & Body

健康けんこうのために、毎日まいにち野菜やさいを食べたべて運動うんどうしています。

For my health, I eat vegetables and exercise every day.

Usage 健康 works as a noun and a な-adjective: 健康な体, 健康にいい. のために = for the sake of. 健康診断 (けんこうしんだん) = a medical check-up.

Remember it 健 (sturdy, healthy) + 康 (at ease). Sturdy and at ease.

病気びょうきのため、学校がっこうを休みやすみました。

I was off school because of illness.

Usage 病気になる = to fall ill, 病気が治る (なおる) = to recover. のため is the formal 'because of'; ので is the everyday one.

Remember it 病 = 疒, the sickness radical showing a person on a bed, plus 気 (spirit). A spirit taken ill.

頭あたまが痛いいたいので、病院びょういんに行ったいったほうがいいです。

I have a headache, so I'd better go to the hospital.

Usage In Japan 病院 covers small local clinics too, so going there for a cold is entirely normal. たほうがいい = you had better.

Remember it 病 (sickness) + 院 (an institution). The sickness institution.

食後しょくごに薬くすりを飲むのむのを忘れないわすれないでください。

Please don't forget to take your medicine after meals.

Usage Japanese drinks medicine: 薬を飲む, never 取る, even for tablets. 食後 = after meals, 食前 = before. The kanji becomes やく in 頭痛薬.

Remember it 薬 = 艹 (grass) over 楽 (comfort, ease). The plant that brings relief.

昨日きのうから熱ねつがあって、体からだがだるいだるいです。

I've had a fever since yesterday and my body feels heavy.

Usage 熱がある = to have a fever, 熱を計る (はかる) = to take a temperature. だるい = sluggish and heavy-limbed, exactly the word you want when ill.

Remember it 熱 sits on 灬, the four fire dots. Heat, in a body or a kettle alike.

咳せきが止まらとまらなくて、夜よるも眠れねむれませんでした。

My cough wouldn't stop and I couldn't sleep at night either.

Usage 咳が出る = to have a cough, 咳をする = to cough. 眠れない is the potential negative of 眠る — was unable to sleep.

Remember it 咳 = 口 (mouth) + 亥. Something forced out through the mouth.

足あしが痛くていたくて、歩くあるくのが大変たいへんです。

My leg hurts and walking is difficult.

Usage Japanese says [body part]が痛い, so 頭が痛い is how you say 'I have a headache'. The noun is 痛み (いたみ), and 痛くて links to its consequence.

Remember it 痛 = 疒 (sickness) + 甬. Under the same sickness roof as 病 and 疲.

頭あたまが痛いいたいので、薬くすりを飲みのみました。

I had a headache, so I took some medicine.

Usage 頭がいい means clever, not 'a good head'. The on-reading ず gives 頭痛 (ずつう, headache) and とう gives 先頭 (the lead).

Remember it 頭 = 豆 (a bean on a stand) + 頁 (head). The rounded thing sitting on top.

目めが悪くてわるくて、眼鏡めがねがないと見えみえません。

My eyesight is poor, and I can't see without glasses.

Usage 目が悪い means poor eyesight, not a diseased eye. 目 also builds 目上, 目的, and marks ordinals: 三番目 = the third one.

Remember it 目 is a pictograph of an eye, turned upright to fit the writing grid.

耳みみが痛くていたくて、病院びょういんで診てみてもらいました。

My ear hurt, so I had it looked at at the hospital.

Usage 診てもらう = to have someone examine you — note the medical 診る, not 見る. 耳が遠い (とおい) = to be hard of hearing.

Remember it 耳 is a drawing of an ear, lobe hanging at the bottom.

花粉症かふんしょうで鼻はなが止まらとまらないです。

Hay fever means my nose won't stop running.

Usage 花粉症 (かふんしょう) = hay fever, a national preoccupation every spring. Careful: 鼻 (nose) and 花 (flower) are both はな, with different pitch.

Remember it 鼻 carries 自 on top, which was itself once a picture of a nose — which is why Japanese people point at their nose to mean 'me'.

口くちを大きくおおきく開けてあけてください。

Please open your mouth wide.

Usage 口 also means an opening: 入口 (entrance), 出口 (exit), 改札口 (ticket gate). It reads こう in 人口 (population).

Remember it 口 is simply a drawing of an open mouth.

歯はが痛いいたいので、歯医者はいしゃに行きいきます。

My tooth hurts, so I'm going to the dentist.

Usage 歯医者 (はいしゃ) = dentist, literally tooth-doctor. 歯を磨く (みがく) = to brush your teeth, 虫歯 (むしば) = a cavity, literally 'bug tooth'.

Remember it 歯 has 止 on top and a mouthful of teeth drawn in the box below.

手てをよくよく洗ってあらってから食事しょくじをしましょう。

Let's wash our hands well before eating.

Usage 手 reaches a long way into the language: 手伝う (to help), 上手 (skilled), 運転手 (driver), 手紙 (a letter). The arm itself is 腕 (うで).

Remember it 手 is a hand with the fingers spread and the wrist below.

足あしをくじいてくじいて、歩くあるくのがつらいつらいです。

I twisted my ankle and it's painful to walk.

Usage Important: 足 covers both foot and leg — Japanese does not divide them as English does. The same kanji gives 足りる (たりる), to be enough.

Remember it 足 shows a knee joint above and a foot below — the whole limb, which is exactly what the word covers.

重いおもい荷物にもつを持ったせいでもったせいで背中せなかが痛いいたいです。

My back hurts from carrying a heavy bag.

Usage 背中 is the back of the body; 背 (せ) alone means height, as in 背が高い. せいで = because of, always with an unwanted result.

Remember it 背 (back) + 中 (middle). The middle of your back.

お腹おなかが空いたすいたので、何か食べたべたいです。

I'm hungry, so I want to eat something.

Usage お腹が空く = to get hungry, お腹がいっぱい = to be full, お腹を壊す (こわす) = to have an upset stomach. The organ itself is 胃 (い).

Remember it 腹 = 月, the flesh radical, + 复. Nearly every body-part kanji carries that 月.

心臓しんぞうの病気びょうきは早期発見そうきはっけんが大切たいせつです。

With heart disease, early detection is important.

Usage 心臓 is the physical organ; 心 (こころ) is the heart in the emotional sense. 臓 marks internal organs: 内臓, 肝臓 (liver), 胃腸.

Remember it 心 (heart) + 臓 (an internal organ). The heart as meat, not as feeling.

体からだの調子ちょうしはどうですか？

How is your physical condition?

Usage 体の調子 = physical condition, a set phrase worth learning whole. The on-reading たい gives 体育 (PE), 全体 (the whole), 体験 (experience).

Remember it 体 = 亻 (person) + 本 (root, origin). The root of a person.

長いながい会議かいぎですっかりすっかり疲れつかれました。

The long meeting left me completely exhausted.

Usage 疲れる means becoming tired, so the past 疲れた is how you say 'I'm tired' right now. 疲れている describes the ongoing state. すっかり = completely.

Remember it 疲 = 疒 (sickness) + 皮 (skin). Worn right through to the skin.

具合ぐあいが悪いわるいので、今日きょうは休みやすみます。

I'm not feeling well, so I'm taking today off.

Usage 具合が悪い covers both feeling unwell and a machine being out of order. 調子 (ちょうし) overlaps but leans toward form and performance.

Remember it 具 (a tool, a state) + 合 (to fit). How well everything is fitting together.

お元気げんきですか？ーはい、元気げんきです！

How are you? — Yes, I'm well!

Usage Cultural note: お元気ですか is not the daily greeting textbooks imply — Japanese save it for someone they have not seen in a while. 元気がない = to seem down.

Remember it 元 (origin) + 気 (spirit, energy). Your original energy still intact.

医者いしゃに風邪かぜと診断しんだんされました。

The doctor diagnosed me with a cold.

Usage Note the passive and the particle: 風邪と診断される, where と marks the verdict and に marks who gave it. 健康診断 = a health check-up.

Remember it 診 (to examine medically) + 断 (to decide). Examine, then decide.

入院にゅういんして三週間さんしゅうかん治療ちりょうを受けうけました。

I was hospitalised and received treatment for three weeks.

Usage 治療を受ける = to receive treatment. The related verbs are an intransitive/transitive pair: 治る (なおる, to get better) and 治す (なおす, to cure).

Remember it 治 (to cure, to govern) + 療 (to heal). Two healing characters stacked.

注射ちゅうしゃは痛いいたいですが、必要ひつようです。

Injections hurt, but they're necessary.

Usage 注射を打つ (うつ) is what the doctor does; 注射を受ける is what happens to you. The same 注 turns up in 注文 and 注意.

Remember it 注 (to pour) + 射 (to shoot). Shooting liquid in.

心臓しんぞうの手術しゅじゅつは成功せいこうしました。

The heart surgery was a success.

Usage 手術を受ける = to undergo surgery. Watch the reading — しゅじゅつ, with no long vowel; しゅうじゅつ is a common learner slip.

Remember it 手 (hand) + 術 (technique). The technique of the hands.

日本にほんでは国民こくみん全員ぜんいんが保険ほけんに入るはいることが義務ぎむです。

In Japan, every citizen is required to enrol in health insurance.

Usage 保険に入る = to take out insurance, with に rather than を. Compare 保証 (a warranty) from the shopping lesson — they share 保 but differ after it.

Remember it 保 (to protect) + 険 (danger). Protection held against danger.

毎日まいにち三十分さんじゅっぷんの運動うんどうが健康けんこうにいいいいです。

Thirty minutes of exercise a day is good for your health.

Usage 運動する = to exercise, but it also means a campaign: 選挙運動, 反対運動. 健康にいい = good for the health, always with に.

Remember it 運 (to move, to carry) + 動 (to move). Motion written twice.

ダイエットのため、夜よるはご飯ごはんを食べないたべないようにしています。

For my diet, I try not to eat rice in the evening.

Usage False friend: ダイエット in Japanese means a weight-loss regime only, never 'the food you normally eat'. ダイエットする = to be dieting.

Remember it From English 'diet', with the meaning narrowed to slimming alone.

十分なじゅうぶんな睡眠すいみんを取るとることが健康けんこうの基本きほんです。

Getting enough sleep is the foundation of good health.

Usage 睡眠 is sleep as a concept — 睡眠不足 (すいみんぶそく) = lack of sleep. The verbs stay 寝る and 眠る. Here 十分 reads じゅうぶん (enough), not じゅっぷん.

Remember it 睡 and 眠 both mean sleep and both carry 目 (eye). Eyes closing, twice over.

風邪かぜをひいたひいたので、今日きょうは家いえで休みやすみます。

I caught a cold, so I'm resting at home today.

Usage 風邪をひく = to catch a cold, using 引く (to pull), never なる. The kanji are ateji: read literally they would be ふうじゃ.

Remember it 風 (wind) + 邪 (evil). From the old belief that illness rode in on an ill wind.

インフルエンザの予防よぼう接種せっしゅを毎年まいとし受けてうけています。

I get a flu vaccination every year.

Usage Shortened to インフル in everyday speech. 予防接種 (よぼうせっしゅ) = vaccination, and 予防 (prevention) is a useful word in reading passages.

Remember it From English 'influenza' — six mora in full, which is why it gets clipped.

私はエビにアレルギーがあるので、食べたべられません。

I'm allergic to prawns, so I can't eat them.

Usage アレルギーがある = to have an allergy, using ある rather than する, and the trigger takes に: エビにアレルギーがある.

Remember it From German Allergie, not English — so the ギ is a hard g. A lot of Japanese medical vocabulary arrived through German.

試合しあい中に転んでころんで怪我けがをしてしまいました。

I fell during the match and injured myself.

Usage 怪我をする = to get injured, 怪我人 (けがにん) = an injured person. Often written in kana as けが. 転ぶ (ころぶ) = to fall over.

Remember it The two kanji mean 'strange' and 'me', picked purely for sound — a clear case of ateji ignoring meaning.

転んでころんで血ちが出てでてしまいました。

I fell over and started bleeding.

Usage 血が出る = to bleed. The on-reading けつ gives 血液 (けつえき, blood) and 血液型 — blood types, which Japanese discuss rather as others discuss star signs.

Remember it 血 is a vessel with a drop falling into it — blood caught in a dish.

スキーすきーをして転びころび、腕うでを骨折こっせつしました。

I fell while skiing and broke my arm.

Usage 骨折する takes を for the limb: 腕を骨折する. Watch the small tsu — こっせつ, not こつせつ. 腕 (うで) = arm, as distinct from 手.

Remember it 骨 (bone) + 折 (to snap). A snapped bone, and 骨 really does look like a joint.

手術しゅじゅつのため、一週間いっしゅうかん入院にゅういんしました。

I was in hospital for a week for surgery.

Usage 入院する = to be admitted, 退院する = to be discharged. Neither takes を: 病院に入院する uses に.

Remember it 入 (to enter) + 院 (institution). Entering the institution.

手術しゅじゅつがうまくいってうまくいって、予定よていより早くはやく退院たいいんできました。

The surgery went well and I was discharged earlier than planned.

Usage 退院 is the mirror of 入院. The same 退 appears in 早退 and 退学 from earlier lessons. うまくいく = to go well.

Remember it 退 (to withdraw) + 院 (institution). Withdrawing from the institution.

病気びょうきの父ちちを看病かんびょうするために、仕事しごとを休みやすみました。

I took time off work to nurse my sick father.

Usage 看病する = to care for someone ill at home. 介護 (かいご) is long-term care for the elderly, and 看護師 (かんごし) is a professional nurse.

Remember it 看 = 手 (hand) above 目 (eye) — shading your eyes to keep watch. Watching over the sick.

医薬品いやくひんは医師いしの処方しょほうが必要ひつようなものもあります。

Some pharmaceuticals require a doctor's prescription.

Usage 医薬品 is the formal category word used on packaging and in regulations. 処方 (しょほう) = prescription, 医師 (いし) = the formal word for a doctor.

Remember it 医 (medical) + 薬 (medicine) + 品 (goods). Medical goods.