How to say “I need to see a doctor” in Chinese
“I need to see a doctor” in Chinese is 我需要看医生。, written in pinyin as Wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng.
我需要看医生。
Wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng.
I need to see a doctor.
Word by word
What each part of 我需要看医生。 actually means.
- 我wǒI / me
- 需要xūyàoto need
- 看kànto see
- 医生yīshēngdoctor
When you use it
- Say it at a hotel front desk or to anyone nearby when you feel unwell and need medical help rather than a pharmacy.
- Chinese hospitals usually take a sudden illness straight into 急诊 (the emergency department), instead of asking you to book a clinic appointment first.
Use 我需要看医生。 in emergency situations. Get help fast: police, doctor, lost and allergies.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
我要挂号。
Wǒ yào guàhào
I need to register.
挂号 is the first step of every hospital visit — pay a small fee, get a number, then wait to be called.
这里有诊所吗？
Zhèlǐ yǒu zhěnsuǒ ma?
Is there a clinic here?
A 诊所 handles small problems; a 医院 handles everything else.
我拉肚子了。
Wǒ lā dùzi le
I have diarrhea.
The traveler's most common complaint, and the colloquial 拉肚子 is exactly what triage staff expect to hear.
What usually trips people up
- The patient 看医生 (sees the doctor) and the doctor 看病 (sees the illness) — the same 看 points both ways, and 我看病 said by a patient is understood as the same thing.
- Registering (挂号) is not optional — skip the window and there is no number, and without a number no doctor will call you, however empty the waiting room looks.
- A pharmacy (药店) is often the faster stop for minor problems, because pharmacists there recommend and sell medicine directly — more street corners have one than have a clinic.
What you might hear back
- 急诊在一楼。Jízhěn zài yì lóuThe emergency department is on the first floor.
- 先去那边挂号。Xiān qù nàbiān guàhàoGo and register over there first.
- 哪里不舒服？Nǎlǐ bù shūfu?Where do you feel unwell?
Common questions
- How do you say "I need to see a doctor" in Chinese?
- "I need to see a doctor" in Chinese is 我需要看医生。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng. It is an emergency phrase you would use in China.
- What does 我需要看医生。 mean in Chinese?
- 我需要看医生。 (Wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng) means "I need to see a doctor". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I / me"; 需要 (xūyào) means "to need"; 看 (kàn) means "to see"; 医生 (yīshēng) means "doctor".
- When would you use "I need to see a doctor" in Chinese?
- Say it at a hotel front desk or to anyone nearby when you feel unwell and need medical help rather than a pharmacy. Chinese hospitals usually take a sudden illness straight into 急诊 (the emergency department), instead of asking you to book a clinic appointment first.
Where you'll use it
我需要看医生。 comes up in these situations, in this order.
More Emergency phrases
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