Master Japanese N4: Body & Health (体と健康)

When living or traveling in Japan, being able to describe how you feel and point out parts of your body is essential. This guide covers the vital N4-level vocabulary and grammar structures you need to navigate health situations with confidence.

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1. Core Vocabulary: Parts of the Body (体の部位)

Let’s start with the essential N4 body parts. Pay close attention to the kanji and their readings.

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2. Expressing Symptoms (症状の表現)

To tell a doctor or colleague how you are feeling, you need these key verbs and nouns:

• 風邪をひく (kaze o hiku) – To catch a cold風邪
• 熱がある (netsu ga aru) – To have a fever熱
• 咳が出る (seki ga deru) – To cough (literally: "cough comes out")咳出
• 怪我をする (kega o suru) – To get injured怪我
• 気分が悪い (kibun ga warui) – To feel unwell / nauseous気分悪

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3. Essential N4 Grammar Patterns

Pattern A: Expressing Pain

To say something hurts, use the particle が with the $i$-adjective 痛い (いたい).痛

$$\text{[Body Part]} + \mathbf{が} + \text{痛いです}$$痛

• 頭が痛いです。 (Atama ga itai desu.)
  • "My head hurts." (I have a headache.)
  頭痛
• 昨日から、のどが痛いです。 (Kinō kara, nodo ga itai desu.)
  • "My throat has been hurting since yesterday."
  昨日痛

Pattern B: Explaining Symptoms with 〜んです

At the clinic, use the explanatory 〜んです (n desu) to describe your condition. This adds a nuance of explanation, making it sound natural to native speakers.

• 熱が３８度あるんです。 (Netsu ga san-jū-hachi do aru n desu.)
  • "The thing is, I have a 38-degree fever."
  熱度
• 咳が止まらないんです。 (Seki ga tomaranai n desu.)
  • "The cough just won't stop."
  咳止

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4. Practice Dialogue: At the Clinic (病院で)

Read this natural N4-level conversation between a doctor (医者 - いしゃ) and a patient (患者 - かんじゃ).医者患

• 医者: 今日はどうしましたか。
  (Kyō wa dō shimashita ka?)
  "What seems to be the problem today?"医者今日
• 患者: 昨日からお腹が痛いんです。
  (Kinō kara onaka ga itai n desu.)
  "My stomach has been hurting since yesterday."患者昨日腹痛
• 医者: 熱はありますか。
  (Netsu wa arimasu ka?)
  "Do you have a fever?"医者熱
• 患者: はい、微熱（びねつ）があります。吐き気（はきけ）もするんです。
  (Hai, binetsu ga arimasu. Hakike mo suru n desu.)
  "Yes, I have a slight fever. I also feel nauseous."患者微熱吐気
• 医者: 分かりました。横になって、お腹を触りますね。
  (Wakarimashita. Yoko ni natte, onaka o sawarimasu ne.)
  "I understand. Please lie down, and I will examine your stomach."医者分横腹触

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Quick Quiz!

Translate the following sentence into Japanese using the grammar learned above:

"My lower back hurts, so I cannot play tennis today."

(Answer: 今日は腰が痛いので、テニスができません。)今日腰痛