In this lesson you will learn essential Japanese for emergency situations. You will practice reporting a car accident, asking someone to call an ambulance, the police, or a doctor, and describing simple medical symptoms. While no one wants to face an emergency abroad, knowing these key phrases could be critical. The lesson covers body parts, pain descriptions, and how to request help.

警察を呼んでください。 — Keesatsu o yonde kudasai. — “Please call the police.”

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Mr. Nelson has a car accident on a country road (no other party involved)

Romaji	English
Neruson: Chotto. Kuruma no jiko desu. Sumimasen ga, keesatsu o yonde kudasai.	Excuse me. There’s been a car accident. Could you please call the police?
Nihonjin: Keganin wa imasu ka?	Is there anyone injured?
Neruson: Imasen.	No, there isn’t.
Nihonjin: Jaa, sugu keesatsu ni denwa shimasu. Chotto matteite kudasai.	Well then, I’ll call the police right away. Please wait.
Neruson: Anoo, Amerika Taishikan ni denwa shitain desu ga…	Um, I’d like to call the American Embassy…
Nihonjin: Jaa, issho ni ikimashoo.	Well then, let’s go together.

Situation 2 — Mrs. Cunningham has an accident; the other party seems badly injured

Romaji	English
Kaninguhamu: Chotto, sumimasen. Kuruma no jiko desu. Keganin ga imasu. Keesatsu to kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai.	Excuse me. There’s been a car accident. There’s someone injured. Please call the police and an ambulance.
Nihonjin: Kuruma no jiko? Jaa, sugu denwa shimasu.	A car accident? Then I’ll call right away.
Kaninguhamu: Sumimasen ga, Amerika Taishikan ni denwa shite kudasaimasen ka? Shujin ga imasu kara…	Would you please call the American Embassy? My husband works there…
Nihonjin: Ii desu yo.	All right.
Kaninguhamu: Kore wa watakushi no meeshi desu. Onegaishimasu.	This is my calling card. I’m much obliged.

Situation 3 — Mrs. Bennett is ill at a Japanese inn and sees a doctor

Romaji	English
Benetto: Sumimasen. Sugu oisha-san o yonde kudasai.	Excuse me. Please call a doctor immediately.
Isha: Doo shimashita ka?	What happened?
Benetto: Koko ga itain desu. (pointing)	I have a pain here.
Isha: Netsu wa arimasen kara daijoobu deshoo. Kore o nonde sukoshi yasundeite kudasai.	You don’t have a fever, so it should be all right. Take this and rest for a while.
Benetto: Sumimasen. Nihongo ga yoku wakarimasen.	I’m sorry. I don’t understand Japanese very well.
Isha: Soo desu ka. No fever. Take this three times a day, before meals.	I see. (switches to English)
Benetto: Wakarimasu. Doomo arigatoo.	I understand. Thank you very much.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Emergency Terms

Romaji	Kana	English
chotto	ちょっと	excuse me (to get attention)
jiko	じこ	accident
keesatsu	けいさつ	police
keganin	けがにん	injured person
kyuukyuusha	きゅうきゅうしゃ	ambulance
oisha-san	おいしゃさん	doctor (polite)
isha	いしゃ	doctor
matteite kudasai	まっていてください	please wait (remain waiting)
ikimashoo	いきましょう	let’s go
tasukete!	たすけて！	help!
meeshi	めいし	calling card, business card

Medical Terms

Romaji	Kana	English
doo shimashita ka	どうしましたか	what’s the matter?
itai	いたい	painful, hurts
netsu	ねつ	fever
daijoobu	だいじょうぶ	all right, no problem
deshoo	でしょう	probably (is/will be)
nonde	のんで	drink (te-form of nomimasu)
yasundeite	やすんでいて	remain resting (te-form)
hakike ga shimasu	はきけがします	feel nauseous
kimochi ga warui desu	きもちがわるいです	feel sick
memai ga shimasu	めまいがします	feel dizzy

Body Parts

Romaji	Kana	English
atama	あたま	head
me	め	eye
mimi	みみ	ear
ha	は	tooth
hana	はな	nose
kuchi	くち	mouth
nodo	のど	throat
kubi	くび	neck
kata	かた	shoulder
ude	うで	arm
te	て	hand
yubi	ゆび	finger, toe
mune	むね	chest
onaka	おなか	abdomen
senaka	せなか	back
koshi	こし	lower back
ashi	あし	foot, leg
hiza	ひざ	knee

Grammar & Usage Notes

1. Reporting an accident

To say there has been a car accident: Kuruma no jiko desu. — “There’s been a car accident.”

To say there are injured persons: Keganin ga imasu. — “There are injured people.”

2. Asking someone to call for help

Use …o yonde kudasai to ask someone to call:

Request	Romaji
Call the police	Keesatsu o yonde kudasai.
Call an ambulance	Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai.
Call a doctor	Oisha-san o yonde kudasai.

For a more polite request, use: …o yonde kudasaimasen ka?

3. Expressing a desire with -tai

Denwa shitain desu ga… — “I’d like to make a phone call, but…” Amerika Taishikan ni denwa shitain desu ga… — “I’d like to call the American Embassy…”

The -tai ending expresses a personal desire. Adding n desu ga softens the request.

4. Describing pain

Use the pattern: (body part) ga itain desu. — “My (body part) hurts.”

Atama ga itain desu. — “I have a headache.” Onaka ga itain desu. — “I have a stomachache.” Koko ga itain desu. — “I have a pain here.” (pointing)

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Body Parts — Naming practice

Point to each body part and say its name in Japanese. Then practice saying you have pain:

Pattern: (body part) ga itain desu.

English	Japanese
I have a headache.	Atama ga itain desu.
My chest hurts.	Mune ga itain desu.
I have a stomachache.	Onaka ga itain desu.
My foot hurts.	Ashi ga itain desu.
I have a toothache.	Ha ga itain desu.

B. Substitution Drill — Call for help

Replace the underlined word: Keesatsu o yonde kudasai.

Substitute	Full sentence
kyuukyuusha	Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai.
shujin	Shujin o yonde kudasai.
takushii	Takushii o yonde kudasai.
isha	Isha o yonde kudasai.

C. Substitution Drill — Please call (a place)

Replace the underlined word: Keesatsu ni denwa shite kudasai.

Substitute	Full sentence
Amerika Taishikan	Amerika Taishikan ni denwa shite kudasai.
kanai	Kanai ni denwa shite kudasai.
Amerika Ryoojikan	Amerika Ryoojikan ni denwa shite kudasai.
shujin	Shujin ni denwa shite kudasai.

D. Production and Comprehension — Describing symptoms

The instructor asks Doo shimashita ka? and you give a symptom from the list.

#	Symptom	Japanese
1	Pain in your chest	Mune ga itain desu.
2	Feel dizzy	Memai ga shimasu.
3	Feel nauseous	Hakike ga shimasu.
4	Pain in your foot	Ashi ga itain desu.
5	Feel sick to your stomach	Kimochi ga waruin desu.
6	Headache	Atama ga itain desu.

E. Production — Emergency responses

Answer the following in Japanese:

What do you shout when you want help? → Tasukete!
How do you report a car accident? → Kuruma no jiko desu.
How do you say someone is injured? → Keganin ga imasu.
How do you ask someone to call an ambulance? → Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai.
How do you ask for an English speaker? → Eego ga wakaru hito wa imasu ka?

Cultural Notes

Emergency telephone numbers in Japan

Service	Number
Police	110
Fire / Ambulance	119

Always carry a card with the telephone numbers of the U.S. Embassy and other important contacts. Your meeshi (business card) is also very useful — show it to police so they have your basic information. Since the police or fire department will ask about details of an accident, it is much easier to find a Japanese person nearby to help you communicate. When involved in a car accident, contact your office immediately so they can send help or give guidance.

Emergencies

What You Will Learn

Lesson Material