📞 Survival Guide / Useful Phrases

Drugstore Illness Phrases

Drugstore Help Phrases (薬局での症状説明 - Yakkyoku no kotoba)

📖 Meaning & Etiquette

The essential survival phrases to describe physical symptoms (fever, headache, stomachache, diarrhea) to a pharmacist at a Japanese drugstore ('Yakkyoku'), enabling you to purchase the correct over-the-counter medicine.

💡 Cultural Background

Due to strict pharmaceutical laws, certain over-the-counter drugs require active consultation with a registered pharmacist. Since box packaging is entirely in kanji, these spoken phrases are crucial.

💬 Useful Conversation Phrases

Find a pharmacist and say: 'Taichō ga warui desu' (I feel unwell). Then state: 'Atama ga itai desu' (Headache), 'Onaka ga itai desu' (Stomachache), or 'Netsu ga arimasu' (I have a fever). Ask: 'Kusuri o kudasai' (Medicine, please).

胃が痛いので、ドラッグストアで「胃薬（いぐすり）」を買いたいです。 / すみません、頭痛薬はどの棚にありますか？

🔊 My stomach hurts, so I want to buy stomach medicine ('Igusuri') at the drugstore. / Excuse me, which shelf contains the headache medicine?

❓ Bilingual Survival Quiz

Which is the most appropriate phrase to tell a pharmacist if you get a severe headache?

Recommended Learning Resources

VOCAB N5 Vocabulary Practice → KANJI N5 Kanji Stroke Practice → GRAMMAR N5 Grammar Explanation →