Practice a Korean Doctor's Appointment
Visiting the doctor in Korean is high-stakes and high-value: getting your symptoms across precisely matters, and the medical vocabulary is mostly Latin-based across European languages. This scenario rehearses a general practitioner's appointment from check-in to prescription: describing symptoms with body parts and intensity, mentioning allergies and existing conditions, understanding the doctor's explanation, and reading a prescription. You'll practise the formal register doctors use, plus the verbs for pain, duration, and frequency. By the end, you'll handle a routine Korean-speaking appointment without needing a translator.
Sample Korean conversation
안녕하세요! 들어와서 앉으세요. 오늘 어떻게 오셨어요?
Hello! Please come in and take a seat. What brings you in today?며칠째 몸이 안 좋아요.
I haven't been feeling well for a few days.안됐군요. 증상을 설명해 주세요. 통증이 있나요?
I'm sorry to hear that. Can you describe your symptoms? Do you have any pain?열이 나고, 몸살이 있고, 탈진한 느낌이에요.
I have a fever, body aches, and I feel exhausted.체온을 재볼게요... 38.5도네요. 열이 얼마나 오래됐어요?
Let me take your temperature... 38.5 degrees. How long have you had the fever?이틀 정도요. 밤에 더 심해져요.
About two days. It gets worse at night.
What you'll learn
- Check in at a Korean-speaking clinic
- Describe symptoms with body parts, duration, and intensity
- Mention allergies, medications, and chronic conditions
- Understand basic diagnosis and treatment instructions
- Read a Korean prescription and ask follow-up questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I describe pain levels in Korean?
Use the Korean equivalent of 'mild, moderate, severe', plus 'sharp', 'dull', 'stabbing'. The vocabulary list covers this nuanced spectrum.
Will my Korean-speaking doctor speak English?
Often yes in big cities, often no in smaller towns. Even when they do, knowing the basic Korean medical vocabulary helps you describe symptoms more accurately.
How do I ask about side effects of medication in Korean?
There's a specific construction — 'What are the side effects?' — that the scenario teaches. Pharmacists often answer this more thoroughly than doctors.
What's the Korean for 'I'm allergic to penicillin'?
A critical sentence to memorise. We include it verbatim in the vocabulary list and rehearse it in the scenario.