101 Must-know German Medical Words for
German Learners before Seeing a Doctor
Going to a new country is incredibly exciting. You plan for so many different aspects of your journey
and stay. However, you can't control everything that happens.
Although you hope to be healthy while you are abroad, you should plan to know how to talk to a
doctor if one is needed. Learning just a few basics will give you what you need to know for a basic
interaction with a medical professional.
Before diving into the specifics of the medical terms and phrases you need to know, make sure that
you know the basics of the German language and how
to ask directions so you can
find a doctor.
Once you are done brushing up on those, you are ready to start getting into the more complicated
world of health terms.
About German Doctors
As an English speaker, you definitely have your own perception of what doctors know and how they
operate. You are also likely aware that every area is different, and that is certainly true when you go to
a different country.
While every doctor has their own approach, there are some fairly universal aspects of German
doctors.
The vast majority of German doctors speak English. This doesn't mean you don't need to know
German - you should definitely make an effort to talk to them in German if you can - but if you are in
really bad shape, you can focus on stating what's wrong. Don't expect the other staff members to be as
adept with English though. You are going to need to use German with administrative staff and nurses.
If you aren't comfortable or don't think that you can communicate through your pain or discomfort,
make sure you bring someone else with you to visit the doctor.
The cost of seeing a doctor is much lower than in the US (if you are American) and is fairly comparable
to other countries with nationalized healthcare. If you don't have insurance, be prepared to pay
between 20 and 30 Euros to see a general physician, and at least 50 Euros for a specialist.
Most practices are on the smaller side, and they are usually on the first floor of buildings with
apartments. They are also likely to have walk-in hours so you can find someone to treat you when you
need it. Be prepared for the doctor to take your vitals as well. They don't rely on nurses to take the
initial assessment, and then pass on the information. You may find this approach helps to streamline
the process as you won't have to repeat whatever details you share.
Things to Consider
Before you go to Germany, take the time to make a checklist of things to consider in the event that you
do get sick. You can keep this list on an app to help you. By thinking about it before you leave, you can
make sure you don't forget anything important.
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Are you injured? If so, what happened? Whether it was from exercising,
hiking, or some other activity, make sure you have the necessary
vocabulary to quickly help your doctor understand what you did to
injure yourself.
Did you eat something that could have upset your stomach or do you
think you may have food poisoning? You can save a list of the most
popular German foods so you can tell your doctor what you ate that
could be causing your problems.
Do you have allergies? Remember that there are
both environmental and food allergies. If you have any known allergies,
make sure to note that in your checklist, as well as doing some research
to learn the terms specific to your allergies.
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Do you have any other known health problems? You should take the
time to save that information and keep it with your passport, as well as
taking the time to learn the German vocabulary for those illnesses.
ThoughtCo.com has a lengthy list of German Medical Terms that go
well beyond the details on this page.
Medical Terms and Phrases
There are a lot of medical terms in any language, but you don't need to know all of them. Beyond the
specialty words you should consider from the previous section, there are a lot of more common terms
- some of these you can probably even use outside of a medical emergency.
Body Parts and Senses
You have a lot of body parts, but odds are that you can get by with just the most basic words if you
have to visit a doctor. The following are the most basic words to help you at least identify where you
are hurting or think that there may be a problem.
Arm
der Arm
Back
der Ruecken
Blood
das Blut
Body
der Korper
Bladder
die Blase
Bone
Chest
Ear(s)
Elbow
Eye(s)
Finger
Foot and Feet
Hand and Hands
Head
Heart
Knee
Leg
Lung(s)
Mouth
Muscle
Neck
Skin
Stomach
Toe(s)
Tooth and Teeth
Torso
der Knocken
die Brust
das Ohr(en)
der Ellbogen
das Auge(n)
der Finger
der Fuss and die Füße
die Hand and die Hände
der Kopf
das Herz
as Knie
das Bein
die Lunge(n)
der Mund
der Muskel
der Hals
die Haut
der Magen
der Zeh(en)
die Zahn and die Zähne
der Rumpf
It's likely you will need to describe how your senses are affected. Use the following words to talk
about your physical perception, such as eye sight.
Balance
Hearing
Eyesight
Smell
Taste
Touch
das Gleichgewicht
das Gehör
das Sehvermögen
der Geruchssinn
der Geschmacksinn
der Tastsinn
General Terms
There are some additional terms that you will likely need to know, particularly as you try to find a
doctor to help you. The following table provides the basic terms in the medical field.
Ambulance
der Krankenwagen
Blood test
eine Blutprobe
Blood pressure
der Blutdruck
Concussion
die Gehirnerschuetterung
Contagious
Ansteckend
Doctor
der Arzt, der Ärztin, der Doktor
Insurance
Versicherung
Nurse
die Krankenschwester
Surgery
der chirurgische Eingriff
Surgeon
der Chirurg / die Chirurgin
To become infected
sich entzuenden
Describing Your Ailment
There are many things that may cause you problems, from a known health problem to symptoms. This
is not a comprehensive list, but it does cover most of the basic terms you may need.
The following table lists the terms for symptoms to help you describe what is wrong.
Ache
Allergies
Backache
Blister
Broken
Chills
Constipation
Contraceptive
Cough
Diarrhea
Dizzy
Faint
Fever
Headache
Infection
Injured
Itching
Joint
Migraine
Muscle pains
Nauseous
Pain
Rash
Sick
Sleeplessness
Swelling
Unwell
Vomit
Weak
Wheezing
die Schmerzen
die Allergien
die Rueckenschmerzen
die Blase
gebrochen
das Kältegefühl
die Verstopfung
das Verhuetungsmittel
der Husten
der Durchfall
Schwindlig
Schwach
das Fieber
die Kopfschmerzen
Infektion
Verletzt
das Jucken
das Gelenk
die Migrane
die Muskelschmerzen
Uebel
der Schmerz
Hautausschlag
Krank
die Schlaflosigkeit
die Schwellung
Unwohl
das Erbrechen
Schwach
das Keuchen
The following is a list of illnesses to help you let the doctor know if you already have an ailment. Some
of the following terms are also potential diagnoses.
Cancer
Chickenpox
Cold (virus)
Depression
Diabetic
Heartattack
Inflamed
Inflammation
Influenza (the flu)
Pregnant
Medications
Krebs
die Windpocken
der Schnupfen
die Depression
der Diabetiker or die Diabetikerin
der Herzinfarkt
Entzuendet
Entzündung
die Grippe
Schwanger
For most ailments, you probably won't need to know the specific name of a medicaiton. If you have a
known health issue, you should take the time to learn the term in German before you leave the
country (for example, insulin is das Insulin, which you would likely need to know if you are diabetic).
Otherwise, you probably won't need more than the following few medicaiton types - these are the
ones that most people will use a few times in their lives.
Anti-inflammatory
das Entzündungshemmende
Antibiotics
die Antibiotika
Injection
die Spritze
Medication
die Medikamente
Pain killer
das Schmerzmittel
Prescription
das Rezept
Improtant Phrases
There are two types of phrases you should know: phrases your doctor will use and ones that you may
need to use.
To help describe your current state, learn the following phrases.
I feel dizzy
I’m feeling really unwell
To have a fall
To have a heart condition
To have heartburn
Mir ist schwindlig
Ich fuehle mich echt mies
Hinfallen
Ein Herzleiden haben
Sodbrennen haben
To suffer from insomnia
Unter Schlafloesigkeit leiden
Be prepared for the doctor to ask the following questions or to give to following commands.
Are you allergic to anything?
Where does it hurt?
Cough, please.
Open your mouth.
I am going to prescribe...
Sind Sie gegen irgendetwas allergisch?
Wo tut es weh?
Husten Sie bitte.
Machen sie den Mund auf
Ich verschreibe Ihnen...
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that your health is not something that you should
take lightly. If you don't feel well, make sure you go to a doctor. If nothing else, they can probably help
you feel better more quickly. It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially when you are traveling
abroad.