Health Vocabulary (Chinese)
A concise list of practical health-related Chinese words for beginner to intermediate learners. It covers common medical terms—symptoms, body parts, medications, and hospital services—to help you communicate during appointments, emergencies, and everyday health conversations.
- 健康 jiànkāng — health (the state of being free from illness or injury)
- 医院 yīyuàn — hospital
- 医生 yīshēng — doctor (medical practitioner)
- 护士 hùshi — nurse (medical professional who cares for patients)
- 药 yào — medicine; drug; substance used for a specific purpose (e.g., poisoning, explosion, fermenting); to poison (verb sense)
- 药店 yàodiàn — pharmacy; drugstore (a shop that sells medicine and medical supplies)
- 挂号 guàhào — to register (at a hospital, clinic, for a consultation)
- 检查 jiǎnchá — to examine; to inspect
- 疫苗 yìmiáo — vaccine
- 症状 zhèngzhuàng — symptom (of an illness)
- 发烧 fāshāo — to have a high temperature; to have a fever (illness)
- 头痛 tóutòng — to have a headache
- 咳嗽 késou — to cough
- 感冒 gǎnmào — to catch a cold; to come down with a cold
- 流感 liúgǎn — flu; influenza
- 过敏 guòmǐn — allergic; hypersensitive (medical)
- 疼痛 téngtòng — pain (physical)
- 康复 kāngfù — to recuperate; to recover (health); to convalesce
- 急诊 jízhěn — emergency treatment; emergency department (at a hospital)
- 预约 yùyuē — a booking; a reservation (e.g., for a seat, ticket, table, appointment)
- 体检 tǐjiǎn — physical examination; medical checkup (abbr. for 体格检查)
- 血压 xuèyā — blood pressure
- 血糖 xuètáng — blood sugar
- 呼吸 hūxī — to breathe; respiration
- 心脏 xīnzàng — heart (the organ)
- 胃 wèi — stomach (the organ)
- 肠 cháng — intestines; gut
- 骨折 gǔzhé — to suffer a fracture; (of a bone) to break; fracture
- 伤口 shāngkǒu — wound; cut (injury to the skin or flesh)
- 消毒 xiāodú — to disinfect; to sterilize
- 止痛 zhǐtòng — to relieve pain; to stop pain
- 处方 chǔfāng — medical prescription (written instruction for medicine)
- 剂量 jìliàng — dosage; prescribed dose of medicine
- 儿童 értóng — child; children (formal, collective term)
- 老人 lǎorén — old man or woman; the elderly; one's aged parents or grandparents
- 营养 yíngyǎng — nutrition; nourishment
- 锻炼 duànliàn — to engage in physical exercise; to work out; to toughen/temper (oneself); (fig.) to train or develop one's skills
- 休息 xiūxi — to rest; to take a break
- 睡眠 shuìmián — sleep (the state of sleeping)
- 饮食 yǐnshí — food and drink; diet
- 维生素 wéishēngsù — vitamin
- 预防 yùfáng — to prevent; to take precautions against; to guard against
- 传染 chuánrǎn — to infect; to be contagious
- 理疗 lǐliáo — physiotherapy; physical therapy
- 手术 shǒushù — surgical operation; surgery
- 麻醉 mázuì — anesthesia; the state produced by anesthetics
- 化验 huàyàn — to do a lab test; to have something analyzed in a laboratory
- 影像 yǐngxiàng — image; visual representation (photograph, medical image, digital image)
- 心理 xīnlǐ — psychology (the study of mental processes); the mind in general
- 咨询 zīxún — to inquire; to consult; to seek advice from
- 慢性病 mànxìngbìng — chronic disease; an illness that persists for a long time or recurs frequently
- 急救 jíjiù — to give emergency treatment; to administer first aid
- 救护车 jiùhùchē — ambulance