Emergency & Hospital Japanese: What to Say When You're Not Feeling Well

The one article in this series you hope you never need — but should bookmark anyway.

Most of this site is about making good moments in Japan go smoothly. This one is about the moments that aren't good — getting sick, getting hurt, or needing help fast — and not having to figure out the system for the first time while you're stressed.

🚨 Emergency Numbers: There's No Single "911" Here

This trips up a lot of visitors from countries with one universal emergency number — in Japan, police and fire/ambulance are two separate numbers. Both are free to call, including from a phone without a Japanese SIM card.

Most major emergency lines now have access to multilingual interpretation support, so you don't need to be fluent — but these are the core phrases to get the call moving right away:

If you genuinely don't know your exact location, describing a nearby landmark, station name, or the name of the building you're in is usually enough to get help moving in the right direction.

💊 Pharmacy vs. Drugstore

Two different things, worth knowing apart:

• 薬局 (yakkyoku) — a pharmacy, typically attached to or near a clinic, where prescription medication is filled
• ドラッグストア (doraggu sutoa) — a drugstore, for over-the-counter medicine, basic first aid, and general health items — no prescription needed

🏥 At a Clinic or Hospital

If you have travel insurance, bring the policy details (a photo on your phone works) — staff may ask for it at registration. Larger hospitals in major cities increasingly have English-speaking staff or interpretation services; smaller clinics are less likely to, so having these phrases ready genuinely helps.

The Japan Medical Association maintains an official portal to help foreign patients find English-speaking care.

⚠️ 7 Things Worth Knowing Before You Need Them

1. Police and ambulance are different numbers — 110 for police, 119 for fire/ambulance, not one combined line.
2. Calling 119 covers both fire and ambulance — you'll specify which one you need when they answer.
3. Pharmacies and drugstores aren't the same thing — a yakkyoku fills prescriptions; a doraggu sutoa sells over-the-counter items.
4. Not carrying proof of travel insurance — a photo of your policy on your phone is enough, and clinics may ask for it.
5. Assuming every clinic has English support — larger hospitals are more likely to; smaller clinics less so.
6. Not knowing your address/location in Japanese — a nearby station name or landmark is a reliable fallback.
7. Hesitating to call because your Japanese isn't perfect — multilingual interpretation support exists on major emergency lines; don't delay a call over this.

📋 Your Cheat-Sheet Recap

Hopefully you never need most of this. But if you do, having it ready in advance makes a stressful moment just a little bit easier.