Health & Illness in Chinese 健康
jiànkāng
Health / to be ill in Chinese are 健康 / 生病 (jiàn kāng / shēng bìng).
Also searched for as: sick, ill, health, cold and flu.
Are you well? 15 essential health & illness words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for health in Chinese is 健康 (jiàn kāng), and wishing someone 身体健康 (shēn tǐ jiàn kāng), good health, is one of the most common blessings at New Year and on birthdays. These words help you explain how you feel, from a simple 感冒 (gǎn mào), cold, to 发烧 (fā shāo), a fever, and to call in sick with 我不舒服 (wǒ bù shū fu), I'm not feeling well. Temperatures are given in Celsius, so 三十八度 means 38°C.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 健康 | jiàn kāng | health; healthy |
| 生病 | shēng bìng | to get ill |
| 病 | bìng | illness |
| 感冒 | gǎn mào | cold |
| 发烧 | fā shāo | fever |
| 咳嗽 | ké sou | cough |
| 头疼 | tóu téng | headache |
| 牙疼 | yá téng | toothache |
| 疼 | téng | to hurt |
| 舒服 | shū fu | comfortable; well |
| 不舒服 | bù shū fu | unwell |
| 受伤 | shòu shāng | to get hurt |
| 过敏 | guò mǐn | allergy |
| 休息 | xiū xi | to rest |
| 好转 | hǎo zhuǎn | to get better |
Usage tips
- 生病 (shēng bìng) usually takes 了 when you've fallen ill: 我生病了. Asking 你的病好了吗？ (nǐ de bìng hǎo le ma) is a kind way to check someone has recovered.
- 不舒服 (bù shū fu) is the polite, all-purpose way to say you're unwell without giving details, which is why it's the standard phrase for calling in sick or leaving early.
- For allergies use 对 + the allergen + 过敏 (guò mǐn): 我对花生过敏 (wǒ duì huā shēng guò mǐn), I'm allergic to peanuts. It's worth memorising before eating out.
Common mistakes
- 我有感冒 copies English 'I have a cold'; natives say 我感冒了 (wǒ gǎn mào le), using 感冒 as a verb with 了.
- 病 (bìng) is not an adjective, so 我很病 doesn't work; say 我病了 (wǒ bìng le) or 我生病了 (wǒ shēng bìng le).
Mini dialogue
- A你怎么了？声音不对。Nǐ zěn me le? Shēng yīn bù duì.What's wrong? Your voice sounds off.
- B我感冒了，还有点儿发烧。Wǒ gǎn mào le, hái yǒu diǎnr fā shāo.I've caught a cold, and I've got a bit of a fever.
- A头疼吗？Tóu téng ma?Have you got a headache?
- B有点儿疼，还一直咳嗽，很不舒服。Yǒu diǎnr téng, hái yī zhí ké sou, hěn bù shū fu.A bit, and I keep coughing. I feel awful.
- A那你今天别上班了，在家好好休息。Nà nǐ jīn tiān bié shàng bān le, zài jiā hǎo hǎo xiū xi.Then don't go to work today, stay at home and get some proper rest.
Example sentences
- 祝你身体健康！Wishing you good health!
- 她生病了，今天没来上课。She's ill and didn't come to class today.
- 你的病好了吗？Have you got over your illness?
- 天冷了，小心感冒。It's getting cold, so be careful not to catch a cold.
- 孩子发烧了，三十八度。The child has a fever of 38 degrees.
- 他咳嗽了一个星期。He's had a cough for a week.
- 我有点儿头疼，想休息一下。I've got a bit of a headache and want to rest.
- 牙疼得吃不下饭。My toothache is so bad I can't eat.
- 你哪儿疼？Where does it hurt?
- 洗个热水澡，舒服多了。I feel much better after a hot bath.
- 我今天不舒服，不去上班了。I'm feeling unwell today, so I'm not going to work.
- 他踢球的时候受伤了。He got hurt playing football.
- 我对花生过敏。I'm allergic to peanuts.
- 你累了，好好休息吧。You're tired. Get some good rest.
- 吃了药，他的病好转了。After taking the medicine, he's getting better.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Health & illness speaking island has 8 everyday questions about health & illness to prepare your own answers to.