How do you say "I'm sick" in Chinese?

"I'm sick" in Chinese is 我生病了。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ shēngbìng le. It is an emergency phrase you would use in China.

What does 我生病了。 mean in Chinese?

我生病了。 (Wǒ shēngbìng le) means "I'm sick". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I / me"; 生病 (shēngbìng) means "to get sick"; 了 (le) means "change-of-state particle".

When would you use "I'm sick" in Chinese?

When you need somebody to understand that you are unwell right now — a hotel front desk, a pharmacy counter, or a colleague you have to cancel on. Name the symptom straight after it, because 我生病了 on its own says only that something is wrong; 我发烧了 or 我头疼 is what gets a specific answer.

How to say “I'm sick” in Chinese

“I'm sick” in Chinese is 我生病了。, written in pinyin as Wǒ shēngbìng le.

我生病了。

Wǒ shēngbìng le.

I'm sick.

Word by word

What each part of 我生病了。 actually means.

我wǒI / me
生病shēngbìngto get sick
了lechange-of-state particle

When you use it

When you need somebody to understand that you are unwell right now — a hotel front desk, a pharmacy counter, or a colleague you have to cancel on.
Name the symptom straight after it, because 我生病了 on its own says only that something is wrong; 我发烧了 or 我头疼 is what gets a specific answer.

Use 我生病了。 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.

我发烧了。
Wǒ fāshāo le
I have a fever.
The specific one that moves things fastest. A fever is what pharmacies and clinics act on, and it is worth saying before anything else.
我不舒服。
Wǒ bù shūfu
I don't feel well.
Softer and vaguer than 生病了 — 不舒服 covers everything from a headache to an upset stomach without naming it.
我头疼。
Wǒ tóuténg
I have a headache.
我 plus a body part plus 疼 builds any ache: 肚子疼 (stomach), 嗓子疼 (throat), 牙疼 (tooth).

What usually trips people up

Chinese usually names the symptom rather than the general state. The English 'I'm sick' is a complete answer; 我生病了 is a door-opener, and the next question will be 哪里不舒服？ — so have the body part ready.
了 marks a change, so 我生病了 means you were fine and now you are not. For something long-standing you drop it and say 我身体不好, and the two are not interchangeable.
药店 is where you buy medicine and 医院 is where you are treated. Saying 我要去医院 for a headache will be heard as an emergency, so point yourself at 药店 for anything you would fix with over-the-counter medicine.

What you might hear back

哪里不舒服？Nǎlǐ bù shūfu?Where does it hurt?
要不要去医院？Yào bú yào qù yīyuàn?Do you need to go to a hospital?
多喝热水，早点休息。Duō hē rè shuǐ, zǎodiǎn xiūxiDrink more hot water and get some rest.

Common questions

How do you say "I'm sick" in Chinese?: "I'm sick" in Chinese is 我生病了。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ shēngbìng le. It is an emergency phrase you would use in China.
What does 我生病了。 mean in Chinese?: 我生病了。 (Wǒ shēngbìng le) means "I'm sick". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I / me"; 生病 (shēngbìng) means "to get sick"; 了 (le) means "change-of-state particle".
When would you use "I'm sick" in Chinese?: When you need somebody to understand that you are unwell right now — a hotel front desk, a pharmacy counter, or a colleague you have to cancel on. Name the symptom straight after it, because 我生病了 on its own says only that something is wrong; 我发烧了 or 我头疼 is what gets a specific answer.

Where you'll use it

我生病了。 comes up in these situations, in this order.

💊 At the pharmacy5 steps

More Emergency phrases

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