10 Essential Japanese Words for Travel Emergencies | From Hospitals and Police to Embassies
Learn 10 essential N5 words to prepare for emergencies (illness, getting lost, losing items) that may occur during your trip to Japan.
It's best to learn these words along with their pronunciation and in full sentences so you can use them immediately, even in stressful situations.
Learn specific ways to respond in real-life situations with frequently used example sentences.
How this bundle was curated
All items at a glance
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 病院 | びょういん | Hospital |
| 薬局 | やっきょく | Pharmacy |
| 警察 | けいさつ | Police |
| 救急車 | きゅうきゅうしゃ | Ambulance |
| 道に迷う | みちにまよう | To get lost |
| 財布 | さいふ | Wallet |
| 紛失 | ふんしつ | Loss |
| 保険 | ほけん | Insurance |
| 大使館 | たいしかん | Embassy |
| 助けてください | たすけてください | Help me |
Item by item
Reading: びょういん
Hospital
The first place to look for when you are sick or injured. You will often use this word when taking a taxi or asking locals for directions.
Reading: やっきょく
Pharmacy
A place where you can buy medicine for a mild cold or indigestion. While there are many 'drugstores' (ドラッグストア) in Japan, look for a 'pharmacy' (薬局) if you need prescription medication or a professional pharmacist.
Reading: けいさつ
Police
Use this word to ask for help if you are involved in a crime or face a serious problem. A local police box is called a '交番' (kōban).
Reading: きゅうきゅうしゃ
Ambulance
An essential word when asking someone to call an ambulance for a medical emergency. In Japan, the emergency number for fire and ambulance is 119.
Reading: みちにまよう
To get lost
An expression used to explain your current situation when you get lost during your trip.
Reading: さいふ
Wallet
A crucial word for explaining the situation when you lose your wallet containing money, credit cards, or ID.
Reading: ふんしつ
Loss
A noun you will frequently see or use at a police station or a station's lost and found center when you lose an item.
Reading: ほけん
Insurance
You will often be asked if you have travel insurance when receiving medical treatment or handling an accident.
Reading: たいしかん
Embassy
Used to ask for the location or contact information of your embassy when you lose your passport or need protection from your home country due to a major incident.
Reading: たすけてください
Help me
A survival expression that allows you to intuitively ask for help from people nearby in the most critical moments.
Practice with examples
How to decide when unsure
- In an emergency, rather than trying to speak in perfect sentences, simply combining a key word (e.g., 病院, 警察) with 'どこですか (Where is...?)' or 'お願いします (Please)' is often enough to convey your message.
- When you lose something, it is generally natural to use everyday verbs like 'なくしました (I lost it)' or '落としました (I dropped it)' instead of the formal noun '紛失 (loss)'.
- It is helpful to distinguish between a main police station (警察署) and a local police box (交番, kōban). When you get lost or need to report a lost item, you will usually look for the nearest '交番'.
Common mistakes
Hospital (びょういん, byōin) and Hair Salon (びよういん, biyōin) have very similar pronunciations and are frequently confused by foreign learners. Be careful with the pronunciation difference between 'byō' and 'biyō' so you aren't directed to a hair salon in an emergency.
Wrong example: 美容院(びよういん)はどこですか。(Where is the hair salon? - Incorrectly said when sick)/Correct example: 病院(びょういん)はどこですか。(Where is the hospital?)
Using facial expressions or gestures indicating pain can help reduce contextual misunderstandings.
Mini quiz
While walking during your trip, you realize you dropped your wallet. Which word is most appropriate to use when asking someone nearby to call the police or asking for their location?
One-line summary
In an emergency, it is important not to panic and to accurately convey at least one key word. Be sure to remember the 10 words you learned today!
FAQ
What are the emergency numbers for an ambulance or the police in Japan?
In Japan, dial 119 for fire and ambulance, and 110 for the police. You can make these calls for free from a public phone by pressing the emergency call button.
Can I say '手伝ってください (Tetsudatte kudasai)' when I need help in an emergency?
It depends on the situation. '手伝ってください' means 'please help me with a task,' such as carrying luggage or doing chores. In an emergency where your life or safety is threatened, you must use '助けてください (Tasukete kudasai)'.
