Mandarin at the Doctor and Pharmacy in Taiwan

A visit usually follows this sequence: you register (掛號), wait for your number, see the doctor (看診), pay, and collect your medicine (領藥). Each step has a handful of words, and knowing them lets you follow the sequence even if your Mandarin is basic. This guide gives you those words, a script for describing a symptom, and the questions to ask at a pharmacy. It is a language guide only and gives no medical advice. For anything beyond a routine visit, bring a Mandarin-speaking friend, or use a translation app for the details.

Many clinic staff in big cities can manage some English, but the call-out for your number, the forms and the instructions on the medicine bag will be in Chinese. A small amount of Mandarin makes the visit calmer. The full word list for body parts and symptoms is in medical vocabulary in Chinese.

The Clinic Flow

Step	中文	Pinyin	What happens
1	掛號	guà hào	You register at the front desk and are given a number.
2	候診	hòu zhěn	You wait to be seen.
3	叫號	jiào hào	Your number is called, usually aloud or on a screen.
4	看診	kàn zhěn	You see the doctor in the consultation room (診間, zhěn jiān).
5	批價	pī jià	At a hospital, the cashier tallies the charges.
6	繳費	jiǎo fèi	You pay.
7	領藥	lǐng yào	You collect your medicine.

At a small 診所, paying and collecting medicine often happen at the same counter; 批價 is the hospital cashier step. The words 診所 (zhěn suǒ, clinic) and 醫院 (yī yuàn, hospital) are the two places you will go. A 診所 is the neighbourhood clinic for common problems and is usually quicker. Hospitals have separate departments, called 科 (kē), such as 家庭醫學科 (jiātíng yīxué kē, family medicine) or 內科 (nèi kē, internal medicine), and you may be asked which you want when you register.

初診 (chū zhěn) means a first visit to that clinic, and 複診 (fù zhěn) means a return visit. The desk may ask which one you are, and a first visit usually involves filling in a short form with your name, birthday and phone number.

At the Front Desk

You say

中文	Pinyin	Meaning
我想掛號。	Wǒ xiǎng guà hào.	I would like to register.
我是初診。	Wǒ shì chū zhěn.	This is my first visit.
我是複診。	Wǒ shì fù zhěn.	I am returning.
我想看…科。	Wǒ xiǎng kàn … kē.	I would like to see … (department).
請問要等多久?	Qǐngwèn yào děng duō jiǔ?	How long is the wait?
我沒有健保卡。	Wǒ méiyǒu jiànbǎokǎ.	I do not have an NHI card.

You will hear

中文	Pinyin	Meaning
請問有健保卡嗎?	Qǐngwèn yǒu jiànbǎokǎ ma?	Do you have an NHI card?
請填這張表格。	Qǐng tián zhè zhāng biǎogé.	Please fill in this form.
請在旁邊稍等。	Qǐng zài pángbiān shāo děng.	Please wait over there.
幾號,請進。	… hào, qǐng jìn.	Number …, please come in.

健保卡 (jiànbǎokǎ) is the National Health Insurance card. Whether you have one and what you pay depends on your situation, and the rules change, so read health insurance for language students and check with the official source. If you do not have one, say 我沒有健保卡 and ask what the cost will be: 請問費用大概多少? (Qǐngwèn fèiyòng dàgài duōshǎo?)

Describing How You Feel

The doctor’s first question is almost always 哪裡不舒服? (Nǎlǐ bù shūfu?, “Where do you feel unwell?”) or 怎麼了? (Zěnme le?, “What is the matter?”). The pattern for answering is short: where, what, and for how long.

我… (wǒ …, “I …”) plus a symptom:

中文	Pinyin	Meaning
我發燒了。	Wǒ fā shāo le.	I have a fever.
我一直咳嗽。	Wǒ yìzhí késòu.	I keep coughing.
我喉嚨痛。	Wǒ hóulong tòng.	I have a sore throat.
我頭痛。	Wǒ tóu tòng.	I have a headache.
我頭暈。	Wǒ tóu yūn.	I feel dizzy.
我肚子痛。	Wǒ dùzi tòng.	My stomach hurts.
我拉肚子。	Wǒ lā dùzi.	I have diarrhoea.
我流鼻水。	Wǒ liú bíshuǐ.	I have a runny nose.
我噁心,想吐。	Wǒ ěxin, xiǎng tù.	I feel nauseous and want to vomit.
我對…過敏。	Wǒ duì … guòmǐn.	I am allergic to …

Add the duration with 已經…了 (yǐjīng … le): 已經三天了 (yǐjīng sān tiān le, “it has been three days”) or 從昨天開始 (cóng zuótiān kāishǐ, “since yesterday”). A complete answer is 我喉嚨痛,從昨天開始,有一點發燒。 (Wǒ hóulong tòng, cóng zuótiān kāishǐ, yǒu yìdiǎn fā shāo. “I have a sore throat since yesterday, and a bit of a fever.”)

If you are unsure of the word, point to the place and say 這裡痛 (zhè lǐ tòng, “it hurts here”). 痛 (tòng) is the word to learn first.

What the doctor may ask

中文	Pinyin	Meaning
從什麼時候開始的?	Cóng shénme shíhou kāishǐ de?	When did it start?
有沒有發燒?	Yǒu méiyǒu fā shāo?	Do you have a fever?
有沒有對什麼東西過敏?	Yǒu méiyǒu duì shénme dōngxi guòmǐn?	Are you allergic to anything?
有在吃什麼藥嗎?	Yǒu zài chī shénme yào ma?	Are you taking any medicine?
張開嘴巴。	Zhāng kāi zuǐba.	Open your mouth.
深呼吸。	Shēn hūxī.	Take a deep breath.

If you cannot follow the question, say 請說慢一點 (qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn, “please speak more slowly”) or 請再說一次 (qǐng zài shuō yí cì). If you take regular medication or have an allergy, write the name and the details in Chinese on your phone before you go, so you can show the doctor rather than rely on memory.

At the Pharmacy

You collect medicine from the clinic’s window or from a 藥局 (yàojú, pharmacy). The person at the window is a 藥師 (yàoshī, pharmacist). The label and the 藥袋 (yàodài, medicine bag) carry the instructions, so learn how to read them.

中文	Pinyin	Meaning
請問這個藥怎麼吃?	Qǐngwèn zhè ge yào zěnme chī?	How do I take this medicine?
一天幾次?	Yì tiān jǐ cì?	How many times a day?
一次一顆。	Yí cì yì kē.	One tablet at a time.
飯前 / 飯後	fàn qián / fàn hòu	before meals / after meals
這個藥有副作用嗎?	Zhè ge yào yǒu fùzuòyòng ma?	Does this medicine have side effects?
吃了會想睡嗎?	Chī le huì xiǎng shuì ma?	Will it make me sleepy?
我對…過敏。	Wǒ duì … guòmǐn.	I am allergic to …

Instructions are usually written as 每日三次 (měi rì sān cì, three times a day) and 飯後 (after meals), and tablets are counted with 顆 (kē). If the label confuses you, ask the pharmacist to point out the line that says when to take it. Always follow the instructions on the label and from the doctor. This guide does not tell you what to take.

Emergencies and Dental Care

This guide covers routine visits only. In an emergency, call 119 for an ambulance (內政部消防署, National Fire Agency); 110 is the police (內政部警政署, National Police Agency). The emergency department is 急診 (jí zhěn). For dental visits, see dental care in Taiwan.

Practising Before You Go

You do not need all of these phrases. Choose five symptom sentences, the registration lines and the pharmacy questions, and practise them aloud. Keep a note on your phone with your name, birthday, allergies and any medication in Chinese and English. When you cannot follow, a written note or a translation app is a perfectly acceptable way through a clinic visit.

Related Reading

• Medical Vocabulary in Chinese: body, symptoms and doctors.
• Health Insurance for Language Students in Taiwan: the 健保 gap and how it works.
• Dental Care in Taiwan: coverage and costs.
• Survival Mandarin for Your First Month in Taiwan: scripts for the other errands.