The language barrier in Japan is a real obstacle: outside a handful of international and gay-friendly clinics, staff may speak little English, and forms are often Japanese-only. Knowing the right terms — and being able to point at them — changes what care you get. Each entry gives the meaning, a rough pronunciation, and the Japanese script. Showing the Japanese text on your phone is often more reliable than trying to pronounce it.
🏥 The Health System
| Purpose | Phonetic | Japanese Term |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance card — bring to every insured visit | Hokenshō | 保険証 |
| National Health Insurance | Kokumin Kenkō Hoken | 国民健康保険 |
| Public health centre — free, anonymous HIV/syphilis testing | Hokenjo | 保健所 |
| Clinic — first stop for routine care | Shinryōjo / Kurinikku | 診療所 / クリニック |
| Hospital — for specialist and HIV care | Byōin | 病院 |
| Emergency department — out-of-hours PEP fallback | Kyūkyū gairai | 救急外来 |
| Insured medical care (30% payment) | Hoken shinryō | 保険診療 |
| Self-pay / private care — covers PrEP, PEP, screening | Jiyū shinryō | 自由診療 |
| Pharmacy | Yakkyoku | 薬局 |
| Referral letter — avoids large-hospital surcharge | Shōkaijō | 紹介状 |
🩸 Sexual Health and Testing
| Purpose | Phonetic | Japanese Term |
|---|---|---|
| Sexually transmitted infection | Seikansenshō / Seibyō | 性感染症 / 性病 |
| HIV test | HIV kensa | HIV検査 |
| STI test | Seibyō kensa | 性病検査 |
| Blood test | Ketsueki kensa | 血液検査 |
| Swab | Nugui kensa / Suwabu | 拭い検査 / スワブ |
| Throat swab | Intō kensa | 咽頭検査 |
| Rectal / anal swab | Chokuchō kensa | 直腸検査 |
| Urethral / urine test | Nyō kensa | 尿検査 |
| Syphilis | Baidoku | 梅毒 |
| Gonorrhoea | Rinbyō | 淋病 |
| Chlamydia | Kuramijia | クラミジア |
| Anonymous testing | Tokumei kensa | 匿名検査 |
| Result | Kekka | 結果 |
💊 Prevention and Emergencies
| Purpose | Phonetic | Japanese Term |
|---|---|---|
| PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) | Bakuro-zen yobō / Pureppu | 曝露前予防 / プレップ |
| PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) | Bakuro-go yobō / Peppu | 曝露後予防 / ペップ |
| I may have been exposed to HIV | HIV kansen no osore ga arimasu | HIV感染の恐れがあります |
| I want to start PEP | PEP wo hajimetai desu | PEPを始めたいです |
| The exposure was [X] hours ago | Bakuro wa [X] jikan mae desu | 曝露は[X]時間前です |
| Vaccine | Wakuchin | ワクチン |
| Ambulance (dial 119) | Kyūkyūsha | 救急車 |
🧬 Living with HIV
| Purpose | Phonetic | Japanese Term |
|---|---|---|
| HIV / AIDS | Eichi-ai-bui / Eizu | HIV / エイズ |
| Antiretroviral treatment | Kō-HIV ryōhō | 抗HIV療法 |
| AIDS Core Hospital | Eizu chiryō kyoten byōin | エイズ治療拠点病院 |
| Disability certificate (immune function) | Shintai shōgaisha techō | 身体障害者手帳 |
| Medical-cost support subsidy | Jiritsu shien iryō / Kōsei iryō | 自立支援医療 / 更生医療 |
| Medical social worker | Iryō sōsharu wākā | 医療ソーシャルワーカー |
| Undetectable | Kenshutsu genkai ika | 検出限界以下 |
🗣️ Key Phrases
| Purpose | Phonetic | Japanese Term |
|---|---|---|
| I would like to get tested | Kensa wo uketai desu | 検査を受けたいです |
| Do you have an English-speaking doctor? | Eigo wo hanaseru ishi wa imasu ka? | 英語を話せる医師はいますか？ |
| I am gay / I have sex with men | Dansei to seikōshō ga arimasu | 男性と性交渉があります |
| How much will it cost? | Hiyō wa ikura desu ka? | 費用はいくらですか？ |
| Is this covered by insurance? | Hoken wa tsukaemasu ka? | 保険は使えますか？ |
When it matters — especially for PEP — do not rely on pronunciation. Have the Japanese sentence ready on your phone screen to show the clinician. Being explicit and unambiguous is worth more than sounding fluent.
🚨 Emergency Numbers
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Fire / Ambulance | 119 |
| Police | 110 |
| TELL Lifeline (English mental-health support) | telljp.com/lifeline |
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