Japanese mini lesson: Heatstroke, 病気 vs. 体調が悪い
Can you believe it’s already August?
Hope you’re staying cool wherever you are. Tokyo’s been brutally hot lately. So today, let’s look at some vocabulary to talk about heatstroke and how to say you’re not feeling well in Japanese.
Plus, we’ll break down the difference between saying “I’m sick” (病気 びょうき byooki) and “I’m not feeling well” (体調が悪い たいちょうがわるい taichoo ga warui) a small but useful tip if you ever need to take a day off from school or work. We hope you won’t need to use these words, but if you do, knowing the right ones might help you get the care you need!
🥵 熱中症（ねっちゅうしょう necchuushoo）: heatstroke
🤒 熱 （ねつ netsu）: fever
熱がある（ねつがある netsu ga aru）: I have a fever
熱が高い（ねつがたかい netsu ga takai）: My fever is high
熱がない（ねつがない netsu ga nai）: I don’t have a fever
😋 食欲（しょくよく shokuyoku）: appetite
食欲がある（しょくよくがある shokuyoku ga aru）: I have an appetite
食欲がない（しょくよくがない shokuyoku ga nai）: I have no appetite
😵 意識（いしき ishiki）: consciousness
意識がある（いしきがある ishiki ga aru）: conscious
意識がない（いしきがない ishiki ga nai）: unconscious
意識が朦朧とする（いしきがもうろうとする ishiki ga mourou to suru）: feeling faint / woozy
😰 脱水症状（だっすいしょうじょう dassui shoujou）: dehydration
😵💫 めまいがする（memai ga suru）: feel dizzy
🤢 吐き気がする（はきけがする hakike ga suru）: feel nauseous
What’s the difference? 「病気」 vs. 「体調が悪い」
If you need to call in sick, Japanese speakers often say:
「体調が悪いので、お休みさせてください。」
taichoo ga warui node, oyasumi sasete kudasai.“I’m not feeling well, so I’d like to take the day off.”
While 「病気なので byooki nanode」 technically means “Because I’m sick,” it often sounds like you're referring to a more serious or chronic illness.
So if you just have a headache, a cold, menstrual cramps, or even heatstroke, it's more natural to say 「体調が悪い」 or 「具合が悪い」.
If you do want to give more context, you can say:
「インフルエンザで動けないので… 」
infuluenza de ugokenai node…“I have the flu and can’t move.”
Stay hydrated and healthy, especially if you’re in a hot part of the world right now!
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