Japanese Lesson 43 – Health Basics · N5

📋 Expression Reference — Health Basics

Key phrases across formality levels. Press ▶ to hear any expression.

STANDARD — ていねい (TEINEI)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
かぜをひきました。	Kaze wo hikimashita.	おだいじに。 Odaiji ni.	Telling someone you caught a cold
ねつがあります。	Netsu ga arimasu.	やすんだほうがいいですよ。 Yasunda hou ga ii desu yo.	Reporting a fever
せきがでます。	Seki ga demasu.	くすりをのみましたか？ Kusuri wo nomimashita ka?	Describing a cough symptom
かぜぐすりをください。	Kazegusuri wo kudasai.	こちらをどうぞ。 Kochira wo douzo.	Asking for cold medicine at a pharmacy

CASUAL — くだけた (KUDAKETA)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
かぜひいちゃった。	Kaze hiichatta.	だいじょうぶ？ Daijoubu?	Telling a friend you caught a cold
きもちわるい。	Kimochi warui.	むりしないでね。 Muri shinaide ne.	Saying you feel nauseous / unwell
くすりのんだ？	Kusuri nonda?	うん、さっきのんだよ。 Un, sakki nonda yo.	Asking if a friend took medicine

🗣 Mini Dialogues

Three scenes at different formality levels. Press ▶ to hear each line.

A — STANDARD · Calling in Sick to Work

たなか

すみません、きょうはかぜをひいたんです。

Sumimasen, kyou wa kaze wo hiitan desu.

I'm sorry, I've caught a cold today.

[SYMPTOM] んです。

[symptom] n desu.

[condition] it-is-that

→ "It's that [symptom]." — explains the reason/situation

すずき

ねつはありますか？

Netsu wa arimasu ka?

Do you have a fever?

たなか

はい、ねつがあります。きょうはやすませてください。

Hai, netsu ga arimasu. Kyou wa yasumasete kudasai.

Yes, I have a fever. Please let me take today off.

B — STANDARD · At the Pharmacy

きゃく

せきとはなみずがでるんですが、くすりはありますか？

Seki to hanamizu ga derun desu ga, kusuri wa arimasu ka?

I have a cough and runny nose — do you have medicine?

[SYMPTOM] がでるんですが、

[symptom] ga derun desu ga,

[symptom] (subj.) comes-out it-is-that but

→ "[Symptom] is coming out, so..." — politely explains a symptom before asking for help

やくざいし

こちらのかぜぐすりがいいですよ。

Kochira no kazegusuri ga ii desu yo.

This cold medicine here is good.

きゃく

ありがとうございます。いちにちなんかいのみますか？

Arigatou gozaimasu. Ichinichi nankai nomimasu ka?

Thank you. How many times a day do I take it?

いちにちなんかい [VERB] ますか？

ichinichi nankai [verb] masu ka?

one-day how-many-times [action] (polite)?

→ "How many times a day do you [verb]?"

C — CASUAL · Friend Checking on a Sick Friend

ゆうき

だいじょうぶ？ねつある？

Daijoubu? Netsu aru?

Are you OK? Do you have a fever?

さくら

うん、ちょっとねつがあるんだ。きもちわるい。

Un, chotto netsu ga arun da. Kimochi warui.

Yeah, I have a bit of a fever. I feel sick.

ちょっと [SYMPTOM] んだ。

chotto [symptom] n da.

a-little [condition] it-is-that

→ "I've got a bit of [symptom]." — casual explanation

ゆうき

むりしないでね。くすりのんではやくねたほうがいいよ。

Muri shinaide ne. Kusuri nonde hayaku neta hou ga ii yo.

Don't push yourself. You should take medicine and go to bed early.

📋 Key Patterns & Cheatsheet ▼

Describing symptoms — ～があります / ～がでます

🟢 STANDARD

ねつがあります。せきがでます。

Netsu ga arimasu. Seki ga demasu.

I have a fever. I have a cough.

があります = have (state). がでます = comes out (ongoing symptom).

🟡 CASUAL

ねつある。せきでる。

Netsu aru. Seki deru.

I have a fever. I have a cough.

Drop が and use plain form — natural among friends.

Explaining with ～んです — giving a reason

STANDARD

[PLAIN FORM] んです。

[plain form] n desu.

→ "It's that [reason]." — explains a situation politely

CASUAL

[PLAIN FORM] んだ。

[plain form] n da.

→ "It's that [reason]." — casual equivalent

Giving advice — ～たほうがいいです

STANDARD

[VERB-た] ほうがいいですよ。

[verb-ta] hou ga ii desu yo.

→ "You should [verb]." — polite advice

CASUAL

[VERB-た] ほうがいいよ。

[verb-ta] hou ga ii yo.

→ "You should [verb]." — friendly advice

Negative request — ～ないでください / ～ないで

🟢 STANDARD

むりしないでください。

Muri shinaide kudasai.

Please don't overdo it.

～ないで + ください = "please don't ~"

🟡 CASUAL

むりしないでね。

Muri shinaide ne.

Don't push yourself, OK?

Drop ください, add ね for warmth.

A — Flashcards

Click a card to flip it. Use ▶ to hear the Japanese.

tap to flip

1 / 10

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.

C — Choose the Right Response

Listen to the question, then choose the most natural reply.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji. Japanese letters are not needed.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).

E — Shadowing Practice

Press ▶ to hear each line, say it aloud, then mark it as practised.

0 of 9 lines practised

📖 Grammar Notes ▼

かぜをひく — "to catch a cold"

ひく (hiku) literally means "to pull", but かぜをひく is a set phrase meaning "to catch a cold". The past tense is かぜをひきました (polite) or かぜをひいた (plain).

  • かぜをひきました = I caught a cold (polite)
  • かぜをひいた = I caught a cold (plain)
  • かぜをひいちゃった = I (unfortunately) caught a cold (casual, with regret)

かぜをひきました。

kaze wo hikimashita.

→ "I caught a cold."

きのうかぜをひきました。

Kinou kaze wo hikimashita.

I caught a cold yesterday.

～があります — Having symptoms (state)

[SYMPTOM] + があります describes having a condition or state, such as a fever or headache. The subject marker が marks the symptom.

• ねつがあります = I have a fever
• あたまがいたいです = I have a headache (uses いたい instead)

[SYMPTOM] があります。

[symptom] ga arimasu.

→ "I have [symptom]."

ねつがあります。

Netsu ga arimasu.

I have a fever.

～がでます — Symptoms that "come out"

でます (demasu) means "to come out". For symptoms like coughs, runny noses, and tears, Japanese uses がでます.

• せきがでます = I have a cough (lit. "a cough comes out")
• はなみずがでます = I have a runny nose (lit. "nose water comes out")

[SYMPTOM] がでます。

[symptom] ga demasu.

→ "I have [symptom] (coming out)."

はなみずがでます。

Hanamizu ga demasu.

I have a runny nose.

～たほうがいいです — "You should ~"

た-form of a verb + ほうがいいです gives advice or a recommendation. Add よ at the end for emphasis.

• やすんだほうがいいですよ = You should rest (polite)
• ねたほうがいいよ = You should sleep (casual)

Negative: ～ないほうがいい = "You shouldn't ~"

[VERB-た] ほうがいいですよ。

[verb-ta] hou ga ii desu yo.

→ "You should [verb]."

やすんだほうがいいですよ。

Yasunda hou ga ii desu yo.

You should rest.

～ないでください — "Please don't ~"

ない-form + で + ください = "please don't ~". Casual: drop ください, optionally add ね for warmth.

• むりしないでください = Please don't overdo it (polite)
• むりしないでね = Don't push yourself, OK? (casual)

[VERB-ない] でください。

[verb-nai] de kudasai.

→ "Please don't [verb]."

むりしないでください。

Muri shinaide kudasai.

Please don't overdo it.

～んです / ～んだ — Explanatory tone

Adding んです (polite) or んだ (casual) after a plain-form clause adds an explanatory nuance — "it's that...", "the thing is...". Used when giving reasons, explaining a situation, or seeking sympathy.

  • かぜをひいたんです = It's that I caught a cold (polite)
  • ねつがあるんだ = It's that I have a fever (casual)
  • せきがでるんですが = I have a cough, and... (leading into a request)

[PLAIN FORM] んです。

[plain form] n desu.

→ "It's that [explanation]." — adds explanatory context

せきとはなみずがでるんですが。

Seki to hanamizu ga derun desu ga.

I have a cough and runny nose, so... (seeking help)

おだいじに — "Take care" / "Get well soon"

おだいじに (odaiji ni) is a set phrase said to someone who is sick. It's polite and appropriate in any register. There is no casual equivalent — it is used universally.

• Literally: "(please treat yourself) importantly"
• Used by: doctors, colleagues, friends, family — anyone

おだいじに。

Odaiji ni.

→ "Take care." / "Get well soon."

おだいじに。はやくよくなってください。

Odaiji ni. Hayaku yoku natte kudasai.

Take care. Please get well soon.

📚 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
かぜ	kaze	cold (illness)
ねつ	netsu	fever
せき	seki	cough
はなみず	hanamizu	runny nose
くすり	kusuri	medicine
かぜぐすり	kazegusuri	cold medicine
きもちわるい	kimochi warui	feeling sick / nauseous
おだいじに	odaiji ni	take care / get well soon
やすむ	yasumu	to rest / to take a day off
のむ	nomu	to drink / to take (medicine)
ねる	neru	to sleep / to go to bed
むり	muri	overdoing it / impossible
やくざいし	yakuzaishi	pharmacist
いちにち	ichinichi	one day / per day
なんかい	nankai	how many times