健康と体調Health and Well-Being
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify and use vocabulary for body parts, common symptoms, and clinic or pharmacy language.
- Ask for and grant permission using 〜てもいいですか and 〜てもいいです.
- State a prohibition using 〜てはいけません.
- Express a desire using 〜たいです.
- Describe a symptom using a body part as the subject, such as 頭が痛いです.
- Give and understand simple health advice.
- Read and interpret simple pharmacy labels and clinic signs.
- Recognize, read, and begin to handwrite ten new Unit III kanji for the body and health.
- Hold a short guided conversation describing symptoms and asking for help at a clinic or pharmacy.
Communication Scenario
On Monday morning, Tom wakes up with a headache and a fever. He messages Yuki to say he cannot come to class, then visits a nearby clinic. At the clinic, he describes his symptoms to the receptionist and the doctor, asks whether he may go home to rest, and stops at the pharmacy afterward to pick up medicine. This chapter follows Tom as he describes how he feels, asks for permission, receives advice, and requests help.
- This chapter continues Unit III. It introduces the permission pattern 〜てもいいです(か), the prohibition pattern 〜てはいけません, the desire pattern 〜たいです, and body-part subject patterns for describing symptoms.
- By the end of the chapter, you will be able to describe how you feel, ask permission to do or not do something, understand simple prohibitions, and request help at a clinic or pharmacy.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary covers the body, common symptoms, and the language needed to describe how you feel and ask for help.
The Body
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 体 | からだ | body |
| 頭 | あたま | head |
| 手 | て | hand |
| 足 | あし | foot; leg |
| 目 | め | eye |
| 耳 | みみ | ear |
| 口 | くち | mouth |
| のど | のど | throat |
| おなか | おなか | stomach; belly |
Symptoms and Feeling Unwell
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 痛い | いたい | painful; hurts |
| 熱 | ねつ | fever |
| せき | せき | cough |
| かぜ | かぜ | a cold (illness) |
| 気分が悪い | きぶんがわるい | to feel unwell |
| 大丈夫 | だいじょうぶ | all right; fine |
Clinic and Pharmacy
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 病院 | びょういん | hospital; clinic |
| 医者 | いしゃ | doctor |
| 薬 | くすり | medicine |
| 薬局 | やっきょく | pharmacy |
| 休みます | やすみます | to rest; to take a break |
| 寝ます | ねます | to sleep; to lie down |
You already know 大丈夫 from earlier reading passages and 休み (day off) from Chapter 12. This chapter reuses 休みます in its verb form and introduces 大丈夫 as an active な-adjective for describing how someone feels.
Script and Kanji Focus
This chapter introduces ten new kanji for the body, illness, and medicine. Furigana marks each new kanji throughout the chapter, and earlier Unit III kanji from Chapters 11 and 12 appear here with reduced furigana as review.
The kanji 病 and 院 combine to form 病院 (hospital or clinic), read びょういん. Neither kanji is commonly used alone with this meaning at this level, so learn 病院 as one lexical unit rather than as two separate pieces of meaning added together. Note also that 病院 and 美容院 (beauty salon) share the same second kanji but refer to very different places.
れんしゅう — Practice: Copy each new kanji five times, saying its reading aloud each time. Then write the words 病院, 薬, and 体 from memory, checking your okurigana against the vocabulary list above.
Pronunciation Focus
The word 病院 (びょういん) contains the contracted sound びょ followed by a long う vowel. Hold びょう for its full two morae rather than shortening it, since びょういん with a short vowel would be difficult to understand. Practice the contrast between a short and long vowel in this position by tapping out the morae: び・ょ・う・い・ん (5 morae).
- 病院 びょういん — hospital; clinic (5 morae)
- 病 びょう — illness (2 morae, as part of a compound)
Also review the falling intonation of 〜てもいいですか, which typically rises gently at the very end as a genuine yes-or-no question, similar to other polite requests for permission you have practiced.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
1. Body-part subject patterns with い-adjectives
Purpose: to describe a symptom by naming the body part that hurts or feels unwell.
To describe a symptom, name the body part with the particle が, followed by an い-adjective such as 痛い (painful). The body part functions as the grammatical subject of the sentence, while the whole sentence describes the speaker's overall condition.
- 頭が痛いです。My head hurts. (I have a headache.)頭[body part]+が+痛い[adj.]+です
- おなかが痛いです。My stomach hurts.
- のどが痛いです。My throat hurts.
In these sentences, the body part is new or focused information within an already-understood topic (the speaker), so が marks it rather than は. Compare 頭が痛いです to a sentence with an established topic, such as 私は元気です, where は marks the speaker as topic. Both patterns are correct; they answer slightly different questions.
2. Asking and granting permission with 〜てもいいですか
Purpose: to ask whether an action is allowed, and to grant that permission.
Attach もいいですか to the て-form of a verb to ask politely whether you may do something. Answer with 〜てもいいです to grant permission, or with a softened refusal to withhold it.
- 家に帰ってもいいですか。May I go home?帰って[て-form]+もいいですか
- はい、帰ってもいいですよ。Yes, you may go home.
- 水を飲んでもいいですか。May I drink some water?
3. Prohibiting an action with 〜てはいけません
Purpose: to state that an action is not allowed.
Attach はいけません to the て-form of a verb to state a prohibition. This form is direct, so it is most often used by a doctor, an instructor, a sign, or another figure with the authority to set a rule, rather than between people of equal standing without cause.
- 今日は学校に行ってはいけません。You must not go to school today.行って[て-form]+はいけません
- お酒を飲んではいけません。You must not drink alcohol.
Error: Using 〜てはいけません for every negative preference, such as telling a friend you personally dislike an activity.
Correction: Reserve 〜てはいけません for genuine rules, medical instructions, or authority-based prohibitions. For a personal preference, use language you already know, such as あまり好きじゃありません (I don't like it very much), instead.
4. Expressing desire with 〜たいです
Purpose: to say what you want to do.
Replace ます with たいです to express a wish to do something. たい conjugates like an い-adjective, so it has its own past, negative, and past-negative forms.
- 早く寝たいです。I want to sleep early.寝[stem]+たいです
- 薬を飲みたくないです。I don't want to take the medicine.飲み[stem]+たくないです[neg.]
- 今日は休みたかったです。I wanted to rest today.休み[stem]+たかったです[past]
Error: *先生は寝たいです。 (intending "The teacher wants to sleep.")
Correction: たい most naturally expresses the speaker's own wish. To describe someone else's apparent wish, more cautious or indirect language is needed, which you will study in a later volume. For now, use たい mainly for your own desires, or ask about another person's wish with a question such as 寝たいですか。
5. Giving simple advice
Purpose: to suggest what someone should do when they are unwell.
Combine the patterns from this chapter and earlier chapters to give simple advice: a request with 〜てください, a permission or prohibition statement, or a suggestion using vocabulary you already know.
- 薬を飲んでください。そして、休んでください。Please take the medicine. And please rest.
- 今日は学校を休んでもいいですよ。It's fine to miss school today.
Grammar Practice
- Describe a symptom: (head) → ______が______です。
- Ask permission to go home: 家に______もいいですか。
- State a prohibition about drinking alcohol using 〜てはいけません.
- Say you want to sleep early using 〜たいです.
- Say you do not want to take medicine, using the negative form of たい.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Tom visits a clinic on Monday morning and speaks with the receptionist and the doctor.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What symptoms does Tom describe to the receptionist and the doctor?
- What does the doctor tell Tom he must not do today?
- What does Tom ask permission to do, and what does the doctor say?
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Describe your symptoms. Using body-part subject patterns, write three sentences describing symptoms you might have when you are unwell.
タスク２ — Ask for and give permission. Write one question asking permission using 〜てもいいですか, and one response granting or withholding that permission.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud at a clear, moderate pace.
きくタスク — At the clinic
きょう、あたまがいたいです。それから、ねつがあります。のども、すこしいたいです。びょういんへいきました。いしゃは「かぜですね。くすりをのんでください。それから、がっこうにいってはいけません。」といいました。いえでやすみます。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Draw a simple symptom chart listing what hurts and what the doctor said to do or not do, then compare it with a partner or check it against the passage.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Quick answers
- 今日はどこが痛いですか。
- 熱がありますか。
- 今日は学校を休みたいですか。
コミュニケーションタスク — At the clinic
With a partner, role-play a clinic visit. One person plays the patient, describing symptoms and asking for permission to do something; the other plays the doctor, giving simple advice and stating one thing the patient must not do.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: Describe a time you felt unwell
Record yourself describing, in five to six sentences, a time you had a headache, a fever, or a cold, what you did, and what you wanted to do instead.
Reading Practice
Read the following pharmacy label and short message, then answer the questions below.
くすりのラベル — Pharmacy label
この薬は一日三回、ご飯の後に飲んでください。お酒を飲んではいけません。
ともだちへのメッセージ — A message to a friend
きょうはかぜで、頭が痛いです。熱もあります。だから、学校を休みます。今から薬を飲んで、寝たいです。あした、また連絡します。
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- According to the label, how many times a day should the medicine be taken, and when?
- What must the patient not drink?
- Why is the friend missing school, and what do they want to do?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write a short message to a friend or instructor explaining that you are unwell and describing what you will do.
- Choose your symptoms. Pick one or two symptoms from this chapter's vocabulary.
- List your ideas in English first. Note the symptom, the reason you are writing, and your plan for the day.
- Write a sentence describing your symptom using a body-part subject pattern.
- Write a sentence about what you must not do today, using 〜てはいけません, or about what is fine to do, using 〜てもいいです.
- Write a sentence about what you want to do using 〜たいです.
- Add a closing sentence, such as a plan to rest or contact the reader again later.
- Revise and check using the checklist below before finalizing your work.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- I described my symptom using a body part plus が and an accurate い-adjective.
- I used 〜てはいけません or 〜てもいいです correctly and appropriately.
- I expressed a wish using 〜たいです, conjugated correctly.
- I used the new Unit III kanji correctly, with furigana.
- I ended each sentence with 。 and organized my message logically.
Culture and Communication
お大事に ("Take care" or "Get well soon") is a common expression used by pharmacy staff, doctors, and acquaintances when someone is unwell. It is typically said as a closing remark rather than as a full sentence, and it appears in many everyday interactions involving illness or injury, from a brief clinic visit to a conversation between coworkers.
Practices around missing school or work due to illness vary by institution, region, and workplace. Some schools and workplaces expect advance notice by phone or message, as Tom does in this chapter's opening scenario; others have different procedures, such as online forms or medical notes. Learners preparing to study, work, or live in a Japanese-speaking community should confirm the specific expectations of their own school or workplace rather than assuming one universal practice.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: *頭は痛いです。 as a first, out-of-context statement about a headache.
Correction: 頭が痛いです。 — Use が to introduce the body part as the focus of a new symptom description. は becomes natural only when contrasting body parts, such as 頭は痛くないですが、のどは痛いです。
Error: Using 薬を飲んでもいいです when intending to instruct someone to take medicine.
Correction: 薬を飲んでください。 — 〜てもいいです grants permission for an optional action; it does not instruct or request. Use 〜てください, which you learned in Chapter 11, for an actual instruction or request.
Error: *飲みたじゃないです。
Correction: 飲みたくないです。 — たい conjugates like an い-adjective, so its negative form uses 〜くない, not 〜じゃない.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Give the Japanese for head, hand, foot, eye, ear, and mouth.
2. Give the Japanese for hospital/clinic, medicine, and pharmacy.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write any six of the ten new Chapter 13 kanji from memory, with their readings.
2. Write 病院 and 薬, checking your okurigana.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Write a sentence describing a symptom using a body-part subject pattern.
2. Write a question asking permission using 〜てもいいですか.
3. Write a prohibition using 〜てはいけません.
4. Write two sentences using 〜たいです, one affirmative and one negative.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at the pharmacy label in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing how and when to take the medicine.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Write a short message explaining that you are unwell, describing your symptom, and stating your plan for the day.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Describe your symptoms to a partner or instructor playing the role of a doctor, and respond appropriately to their advice.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
びょういんで — At the clinic
You will produce a connected spoken and written exchange in which you describe your symptoms, ask for and receive permission, and understand simple health advice.
- Written: Write at least eight sentences describing your symptoms using body-part subject patterns, asking permission with 〜てもいいですか, and expressing a wish with 〜たいです.
- Spoken: Perform a clinic conversation aloud with a partner or instructor, including at least one prohibition using 〜てはいけません.
- Interaction: Respond naturally to advice from a partner or instructor playing the role of a doctor, confirming what you understood.
- Script check: Hand-write at least six of the ten new kanji from memory, and read aloud a short pharmacy label or clinic message furnished by your instructor.
Assessment focus: correctly formed body-part subject patterns; accurate 〜てもいいです and 〜てはいけません forms; correctly conjugated 〜たいです in affirmative and negative forms; accurate body and health vocabulary; accurate Chapter 13 kanji with furigana; and a natural, followable clinic exchange.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice
1. Model: 頭が痛いです。 2. 家に帰ってもいいですか。 3. Model: お酒を飲んではいけません。 4. 早く寝たいです。 5. 薬を飲みたくないです。
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Tom describes a headache, a fever, a sore throat, and a cough.
- The doctor says Tom must not go to school and must not take a bath today.
- Tom asks permission to take a bath; the doctor says he must not, and suggests sleeping early instead.
Listening task — Model chart description
Symptoms: headache, fever, slightly sore throat. Doctor's instructions: take medicine; do not go to school; rest at home.
Reading — Comprehension
- The medicine should be taken three times a day, after meals.
- The patient must not drink alcohol.
- The friend has a cold with a headache and a fever, so they are missing school; they want to take medicine and sleep.
Chapter Review — Section A
- 頭／手／足／目／耳／口.
- 病院／薬／薬局.
Chapter Review — Section B
Open-ended; check against the kanji grids above and the 病院／薬 example.
Chapter Review — Section C
- Model: おなかが痛いです。
- Model: お風呂に入ってもいいですか。
- Model: 今日は学校に行ってはいけません。
- Model: 休みたいです。／休みたくないです。
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: この薬は一日三回、ご飯の後に飲みます。お酒を飲んではいけません。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate written work against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate spoken work against the Performance Task assessment focus.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can describe symptoms using body-part subject patterns, ask for and grant permission, understand and state simple prohibitions, express your own wishes, and read and write simple pharmacy labels and messages about being unwell using the ten new Unit III kanji.