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JLPT N2 Health & Medicine Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N2 Health & Medicine vocabulary with readings and example sentences (77 words).

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This set of 77 N2-level words covers Japan's medical system: departments and staff, diagnosis and checkups, medication and treatment, infectious disease and immunity, named illnesses and symptoms, and emergency care. N2 reading sections regularly draw on this vocabulary in newspaper health columns and public health notices, where compound kanji terms like 感染症 and 既往症 replace the plainer words used in everyday speech.

This article is part of our JLPT N2 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 77 words with the Health & Medicine Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Medical Specialties & Care Settings (14)

Terms for hospital departments, wards, and care roles — the vocabulary needed to describe where and by whom treatment is given, common in N2 passages about hospital visits or health news.

medical care医療iryou

医療はだれにとっても大切です。 — Medical care is important for everyone.

medical care; recuperation療養ryouyou

私はしばらく家で療養します。 — I am recuperating at home for a while.

outpatient外来gairai

明日、私は病院の外来を受診します。 — Tomorrow, I will go to the hospital outpatient department for a checkup.

dermatology皮膚科hifuka

皮膚科でかゆみを見てもらいました。 — I had my itchiness examined at the dermatology department.

obstetrics and gynecology産婦人科sanfujinka

妻は今日、産婦人科の予約があります。 — My wife has an appointment at the obstetrics and gynecology department today.

psychiatry精神科seishinka

病院は精神科を受診するよう勧めました。 — The hospital recommended that I visit the psychiatry department.

ward病棟byoutou

祖父は病棟に入院しています。 — My grandfather is hospitalized in the ward.

nursing看護kango

看護の大切さを看護師に教わりました。 — I learned from the nurse about the importance of nursing.

isolation ward隔離病棟kakuribyoutou

患者は隔離病棟に移されました。 — The patient was moved to the isolation ward.

doctor医師ishi

私は医師に症状を相談しました。 — I asked the doctor about my symptoms.

dentistry歯科shika

検診のために歯科へ行きました。 — I went to the dentist for a checkup.

ophthalmology眼科ganka

目が疲れたので、眼科へ行きました。 — My eyes were tired, so I went to the eye clinic.

house call往診oushin

医者が往診に来ました。 — The doctor came to my house for a house call.

hospital bed病床byoushou

彼は二週間、病床にあります。 — He has been bedridden for two weeks.

Diagnosis, Checkups & Records (9)

Words for identifying a condition and tracking it over time, from routine screenings (検診, 健康診断) to a patient's history (病歴, 既往症) and present state (症候, 病状).

diagnosis診断shindan

医者は検査のあとで診断を下しました。 — The doctor made a diagnosis after the examination.

medical checkup検診kenshin

今日は病院で検診を受けました。 — I had a medical checkup at the hospital today.

medical history病歴byoureki

医者は私の病歴を聞きました。 — The doctor asked about my medical history.

previous illness既往症kioushou

既往症があれば、医者に伝えてください。 — Please tell the doctor if you have any previous illness.

symptom症候shoukou

主な症候は熱でした。 — The main symptom was a fever.

condition病状byoujou

薬を飲んで、病状が少し良くなりました。 — Her condition improved a little after the medicine.

medical care (consultation/treatment)診療shinryou

今日は病院で診療を受けました。 — I received medical care at the hospital today.

detailed examination精密検査seimitsukensa

医者は精密検査をすすめました。 — The doctor recommended a detailed examination.

medical checkup (general physical)健康診断kenkoushindan

会社で健康診断を受けました。 — I had a medical checkup at the company.

Treatment, Medication & Prescriptions (16)

The largest cluster in this deck, built heavily around the kanji 薬 (medicine) and 処 (handle/deal with), spanning prescribing (処方), dosing (投与), therapy (療法), and drug-related harm (薬害, 副作用).

side effect副作用fukusayou

この薬は副作用が強く出ます。 — This medicine has strong side effects.

medical treatment処置shochi

看護師はけがをすぐ処置しました。 — The nurse treated the wound quickly.

prescription処方shohou

医者は私に薬を処方してくれました。 — The doctor prescribed me medicine.

drug; medicine薬剤yakuzai

この薬剤は熱を下げるために使われます。 — This drug is used to reduce a fever.

administration投与touyo

医者は薬をゆっくり投与しました。 — The doctor administered the medicine slowly.

anesthesia麻酔masui

手術は麻酔をして行われました。 — The operation was done under anesthesia.

medicines薬品yakuhin

薬品は子どもの手の届かない場所に置いてください。 — Please keep medicines out of children's reach.

cure治癒chiyu

この治療で、彼のけがは治癒に向かっています。 — With this treatment, his injury is healing.

prescription (the document)処方箋shohousen

処方箋を薬局に持っていきました。 — I took the prescription to the pharmacy.

drug薬物yakubutsu

この薬物は副作用が強いです。 — This drug has strong side effects.

taking medicine服薬fukuyaku

今朝は服薬を忘れました。 — I forgot to take my medicine this morning.

pain relief鎮痛chintsuu

この薬は鎮痛に効果があります。 — This medicine gives good pain relief.

narcotics麻薬mayaku

警察は麻薬を押収しました。 — The police seized the narcotics.

medicinal effect薬効yakkou

医者はその薬の薬効を説明しました。 — The doctor explained the medicinal effect of the drug.

drug damage薬害yakugai

その会社は薬害について謝罪しました。 — The company apologized for the drug-induced harm.

therapy療法ryouhou

この療法は腰の痛みに効果があります。 — This therapy is effective for back pain.

Infection, Immunity & Hygiene (15)

Vocabulary for how disease spreads and how the body or society defends against it, covering pathogens (細菌, ウイルス, 病原菌), immune response (免疫, 抗体), and public-health measures (検疫, 隔離, 衛生).

immunity免疫meneki

よく眠ると免疫力が高まります。 — Good sleep helps strengthen immunity.

disinfection消毒shoudoku

傷を消毒してください。 — Please disinfect the wound.

isolation隔離kakuri

感染した患者は隔離されました。 — The infected patient was isolated.

infectious disease感染症kansenshou

市は感染症の予防に力を入れています。 — The city is working to prevent infectious diseases.

contagion伝染densen

手洗いは伝染を防ぐのに役立ちます。 — Handwashing helps prevent contagion.

antibody抗体koutai

このワクチンは抗体を作る助けになります。 — This vaccine helps the body make antibodies.

immunity power免疫力menekiryoku

十分な睡眠は免疫力を高めます。 — Good sleep can strengthen your immunity.

recurrence再発saihatsu

痛みが再発しました。 — The pain has recurred.

bacteria細菌saikin

細菌は暖かい場所で早く増えます。 — Bacteria can grow quickly in warm places.

virusウイルスuirusu

ウイルスは空気中を通って広がることがあります。 — Viruses can spread through the air.

food poisoning食中毒shokuchuudoku

生の魚を食べて食中毒になりました。 — I had food poisoning after eating raw fish.

pathogen病原菌byougenkin

病原菌が原因で食中毒が起こりました。 — Because of pathogens, food poisoning occurred.

quarantine検疫keneki

その動物は検疫されました。 — The animal was placed in quarantine.

hygiene衛生eisei

学校では衛生が大切です。 — Good hygiene is important at school.

source of infection感染源kansengen

医者は感染源を見つけました。 — The doctor found the source of infection.

Illnesses & Symptoms (15)

Names for specific conditions and symptoms, plus the adjectival pair 慢性 (chronic) and 急性 (acute) that N2 readers need to describe how any of these illnesses behaves.

disorder障害shougai

その子どもは言葉に障害があります。 — The child has a speech disorder.

fever発熱hatsunetsu

発熱が下がってから、仕事に行きました。 — I went to work after my fever subsided.

inflammation炎症enshou

炎症は少しよくなりました。 — The inflammation has gotten a little better.

tumor腫瘍shuyou

医者は小さな腫瘍を見つけました。 — The doctor found a small tumor.

pulse脈拍myakuhaku

看護師は私の脈拍を確認しました。 — The nurse checked my pulse.

stroke脳卒中nousotchuu

祖父は脳卒中で入院しました。 — My grandfather was hospitalized for a stroke.

chronic illness持病jibyou

彼女は持病のために定期的に病院へ通っています。 — She visits the hospital regularly for her chronic illness.

chronic慢性mansei

彼は慢性の痛みで治療を受けています。 — He is being treated for chronic pain.

acute急性kyuusei

これは急性の胃の病気です。 — This is an acute stomach disease.

anemia貧血hinketsu

健康診断で貧血だと言われました。 — I was told I have anemia during my medical checkup.

asthma喘息zensoku

息子は喘息なので、吸入器を使っています。 — My son has asthma, so he uses an inhaler.

gastritis胃炎ien

彼女は胃炎で病院へ行きました。 — She went to the hospital because she had gastritis.

stomach and intestines胃腸ichou

私は胃腸が弱いので、冷たい物を避けています。 — My stomach and intestines are weak, so I avoid cold food.

disease疾患shikkan

この疾患は早く見つけるのが難しいです。 — This disease is difficult to detect early.

constitution体質taishitsu

私の体質では、冷たいものが食べられません。 — Because of my constitution, I cannot eat cold food.

Emergency Care, Blood & Organs (8)

Emergency and critical-care terms alongside blood- and organ-related vocabulary, the register used in news reports about accidents, transplants, and life-saving treatment.

emergency medical care救急kyuukyuu

すぐに救急車を呼んでください。 — Please call an ambulance right away.

life saving救命kyuumei

消防士が子どもの救命に成功しました。 — The firefighter successfully saved the child's life.

first aid応急oukyuu

私は応急の手当てを習いました。 — I learned how to give first aid.

blood血液ketsueki

彼の血液は病院で採取されました。 — His blood was taken at the hospital.

organ臓器zouki

医者はその臓器が傷ついていると説明しました。 — The doctor explained that the organ was damaged.

blood type血液型ketsuekigata

私の血液型はA型です。 — My blood type is A.

organ transplant臓器移植zoukiishoku

臓器移植で彼の命が助かりました。 — An organ transplant saved his life.

resuscitation蘇生sosei

医者は患者に蘇生を行いました。 — The doctor performed resuscitation on the patient.

The 科 suffix and the many faces of 薬

Five words here are built the same way: field + 科, the productive suffix for medical specialties — 皮膚科, 産婦人科, 精神科, 歯科, 眼科 — a pattern that continues outside this list with 外科 (surgery) and 内科 (internal medicine). Separately, watch how the root 薬 (medicine) shifts meaning depending on what follows it: 薬剤 is the clinical term for a formulated drug, 薬品 leans toward medicines as manufactured products, 薬物 often carries a narcotics or controlled-substance connotation (as in 薬物乱用, drug abuse), and 薬害 flips the sense entirely to mean harm caused by a drug rather than its benefit. The kanji 症 does similar work for conditions, marking something as a diagnosed state rather than a vague complaint in 感染症, 既往症, and 症候.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 処置, 処方, and 処方箋?

処置 is a medical procedure or action actually performed on a patient, such as 応急処置 (first aid). 処方 specifically means prescribing medication — the doctor's decision about which drugs to give. 処方箋 is the physical prescription slip handed to the patient, built from 処方 plus 箋 (a written note or slip).

疾患, 病状, and 症候 all seem to mean 'illness' — how do they differ?

疾患 is the general clinical term for a disease or disorder itself, used in formal writing the way English uses 'condition' (e.g. 慢性疾患, a chronic disease). 病状 refers to the current state or progression of an illness a patient already has. 症候 means the outward signs or symptoms that indicate a disease is present, close to English 'symptom' — it is also the root of 症候群 (syndrome), a common word built the same way outside this list.

Practice All 77 Health & Medicine Vocabulary Words

Import the Health & Medicine Vocabulary deck into Onigiri Anki and master this category with spaced repetition.