At this time of year (and where I am in the Northern hemisphere), it is natural for conversations to gravitate towards health. I have heard health vocabulary a lot in recent weeks. I list a few in my video but there are more here…
Of course, this one is also used as a greeting but I thought I would include it: 元気 (げんき genki) I’m fine/are you fine?
and this is one of the first words I learned when I arrived in Japan: 大丈夫 (だいじょうぶ daijyoubu) I’m ok/It’s ok
Next, once the weather became cooler I got a warning, nearly every day! 風を引かないで (かぜをひかないで kaze wo hikanaide) Don’t catch a cold. This was unfortunately closely followed by: 風邪を引いています (かぜ を ひいて います Kaze o hiite imasu) I have a cold. Due to all the schools I taught at (14) I had my fair share of colds.
You might come to hear 病気にかかる (びょうきにかかる byouki ni kakaru) to contract an illness. Often you will only hear 病気です(びょうき です byouki desu) I’m sick or 病気がち (びょうき がち byouki-gachi) [to be] sickly.
If you start off the day fine and then as the day wears on you start to feel or look a bit rough, your choice of sentence might move towards this: 気分が悪いです (きぶん が わるい です Kibun ga warui desu) I’m feeling sick
具合が悪いです (ぐあい が わるい です Guai ga warui desu) I’m feeling sick
I often hear these as questions too 具合が悪いですか (ぐあい が わるい です か Guai ga warui desu ka?) Are you feeling unwell?
I have a rather rosy complexion and can often look red-faced so I heard this sentence a lot: 熱がありますか (ねつ が あります か) Netsu ga arimasu ka? Do you have a fever? I think I run at a higher temperature than most Japanese as well-meaning colleagues were always taking my temperature and according to them I had a fever most of the time!!
That brings us to インフルエンザに罹っています (インフルエンザ に かかって います Infuruenza ni kakkate imasu) I have the flu. Also known as 流感に罹っています （りゅうかん に かかって います Ryūkan ni kakkate imasu) I have the flu.
If you catch the flu then you are really 体調不良 (たいちょうふりょう taichou furyou) [to be] in bad health.
Hopefully you will not have to use these but they are good to know.
お大事に (おだいじに Odaiji ni!) Get well soon!
BONUS: Onomatopoeic expressions are also used to express degrees of pain. “Gan gan （がんがん）” or “zuki zuki （ずきずき）” is used to describe headaches. “Zuki zuki （ずきずき）” or “shiku shiku （しくしく）” is used for toothaches and “kiri kiri （きりきり）” or “shiku shiku （しくしく）” for stomachaches.
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