LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Hospital in Japanese: 病院びょういん (びょういん), and the 美容院びよういん (びよういん) trap

"Hospital" in Japanese is 病院びょういん (びょういん) — and because everyday Japanese uses the same word for a small neighborhood clinic, 病院びょういん is both "hospital" and "going to the doctor."

There is one famous trap waiting next to it: 病院びょういん (びょういん) and 美容院びよういん (びよういん, a hair salon) differ by a single tiny sound. This article gives you the core words — hospital, clinic, doctor, checkup, being admitted, ambulance, pharmacy — and shows you how to keep 病院びょういん and 美容院びよういん apart for good. It is about vocabulary only, not about health advice.

The basics

How do you say "hospital" in Japanese?

病院びょういん (びょういん). The kanji are 病びょう (illness) and 院いん (a large institution or building), so it is literally an "illness institution."

病院びょういんはどこですか。 — Where is the hospital? (polite, asking a passerby) 病院びょういんの前まえで待まっています。 — I'm waiting in front of the hospital. (polite, meeting someone)

Here is the useful surprise for English speakers. In English, "I'm going to the hospital" sounds serious. In Japanese, 病院びょういん also covers the small doctor's office on the corner, so 病院びょういんに行いく is a normal, everyday sentence.

How do you say "I'm going to the hospital"?

病院びょういんに行いきます (びょういんにいきます). The particle に (or へ) marks the destination, exactly like going to school or to a station.

明日あした、病院びょういんに行いきます。 — I'm going to the hospital tomorrow. (polite, a plain schedule statement) 病院びょういんに行いってきます。 — I'm off to the hospital. (polite, said when leaving home — the "go and come back" pattern)

If you want to say the place where something happens, switch to で: 病院びょういんで働はたらいています means "I work at a hospital." For the sick-person side of the conversation, see how to say "sick" in Japanese, which covers 病気びょうき, 具合ぐあいが悪わるい and the polite ways to say you do not feel well.

What are the words for "clinic"?

There are four common words, and ordinary speech does not sort them as tidily as a dictionary does.

クリニック is the modern, friendly word you see on signs and websites. 医院いいん (いいん) is an older-sounding word that often appears in a doctor's own name. 診療所しんりょうじょ (しんりょうじょ) is the formal, official-sounding word. And 病院びょういん itself is what people often say for all of them in daily speech.

近ちかくにいいクリニックがあります。 — There's a good clinic nearby. (polite, giving a recommendation) 駅えきの前まえに小ちいさい医院いいんがあります。 — There's a small clinic in front of the station. (polite, describing the neighborhood)

For a dentist, a separate everyday word exists: 歯医者はいしゃ (はいしゃ).

What is the difference between 医者いしゃ and お医者いしゃさん?

医者いしゃ (いしゃ) is the plain word for "doctor"; お医者いしゃさん (おいしゃさん) is the polite way to talk about someone else's doctor. The お...さん dressing is a respect marker, so you do not use it for yourself.

お医者いしゃさんに診みてもらいました。 — I had a doctor look at it. (polite, 診みてもらう = "to have someone examine") 兄あには医者いしゃです。 — My older brother is a doctor. (polite, stating a job — no お here, because it's about my own family)

When you speak to a doctor, the standard form of address is 先生せんせい (せんせい), not 医者いしゃ.

What does 診察しんさつ mean?

診察しんさつ (しんさつ) is the doctor's examination or consultation. It is the word on the sign when a clinic lists its hours: 診察しんさつ時間じかん (shinsatsu jikan), "consultation hours."

診察しんさつは九時くじからです。 — The consultation starts at nine. (polite, a clinic's schedule) 診察室しんさつしつに入はいってください。 — Please come into the examination room. (polite, a staff member calling you)

What is a 薬局やっきょく, and how does it connect to 薬くすり?

薬局やっきょく (やっきょく) is a pharmacy, the place that handles 薬くすり (くすり, medicine). The small っ gives it a short pause — やっ・きょく.

薬局やっきょくで薬くすりを買かいます。 — I'm buying medicine at the pharmacy. (polite, everyday) 薬くすりは一日いちにち三回さんかい飲のみます。 — I take the medicine three times a day. (polite, the verb is 飲のむ)

The verb is 飲のむ, the same one you use for drinking — see drink in Japanese: 飲のむ for why Japanese "drinks" pills as well as water.

Which words describe staying overnight: 入院にゅういん and 退院たいいん?

入院にゅういん (にゅういん) is being admitted to the hospital; 退院たいいん (たいいん) is being discharged. These two are the hospital words that really do imply something bigger than a normal visit. The pair of kanji tells you the story: 入にゅう (enter) and 退たい (leave), both attached to 院いん.

友ともだちが入院にゅういんしました。 — My friend was admitted to the hospital. (polite, news) 来週らいしゅう、退院たいいんします。 — I'll be leaving the hospital next week. (polite, the patient or a family member speaking)

Note the contrast: 病院びょういんに行いく is just a visit; 入院にゅういんする means staying. Mixing them up changes the whole story.

What do you say in an emergency: 救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ and 119?

救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ (きゅうきゅうしゃ) is an ambulance, and 119 is the emergency number in Japan for fire and ambulance. You will hear it as ひゃくじゅうきゅうばん (119番ばん). Instead of the number, in an emergency a bystander might call out the request itself.

救急車きゅうきゅうしゃを呼よんでください! — Please call an ambulance! (urgent, polite, to a person nearby) 119番ばんに電話でんわします。 — I'll call 119. (polite, stating what you are doing)

The emergency operator's opening question is generally whether it is a fire or an ambulance: 火事かじですか、救急きゅうきゅうですか。 Anime uses the siren sound ピーポーピーポー as the shorthand for the whole scene. The 火事かじ in that question is fire as an emergency, not the plain 火ひ of a stove, a split that fire in Japanese shows with 近所きんじょで火事かじがあった, "there was a fire in the neighborhood".

The famous trap: 病院びょういん vs 美容院びよういん

What is the difference between びょういん and びよういん?

病院びょういん is びょういん (hospital); 美容院びよういん is びよういん (beauty salon, hair salon). They look different in kanji, but spoken aloud, the difference is one small sound.

The first syllable of 病院びょういん is the combined sound びょ (a small ょ attached to び, one beat). In 美容院びよういん, the first two sounds are separate full beats: び and よ. That means 病院びょういん has four beats (びょ・う・い・ん) and 美容院びよういん has five (び・よ・う・い・ん). If you say びよういん when you meant 病院びょういん, a listener hears "hair salon." Say びょういん when you meant a salon, and they may hear "hospital."

病院びょういんに行いきます。 — I'm going to the hospital. (polite, the ょ is small and fast) 美容院びよういんに行いきます。 — I'm going to the hair salon. (polite, びよ has two full beats)

Learners mix these up from both directions. The cure is not memorizing a rule but pairing the two words in practice, so scroll down to the Practice section after reading this.

Why do the two words sound so similar?

Both end in 院いん (いん). Each begins with a び sound. And the vowel stretch う is the same in both. The small ょ is the whole difference, and small kana are exactly the part beginners skip.

病院びょういん 美容院びよういん
Reading びょういん びよういん
Meaning hospital, clinic hair salon, beauty salon
Beats 4 5
First syllable びょ (one beat) び + よ (two beats)
Typical verb 行いく, 入院にゅういんする 行いく, 予約よやくする

Tip: say びょ as if it were one smooth sound, like "byo" in "byoo-tiful." Then say び-よ slowly as two. Your mouth learns the difference faster than your eyes do.

Beyond the basics

Is 病院びょういん only for big hospitals, or also for clinics?

In daily speech it covers both. A strict dictionary says a 病院びょういん has a certain number of beds, and a 診療所しんりょうじょ does not — but people do not talk that way. Most people say 病院びょういんに行いく for any visit to a doctor. The distinction becomes useful only when you read official signs or forms.

How do you ask for a hair salon appointment without mixing up the word?

Use 美容院びよういん with 予約よやく (よやく), "reservation."

美容院びよういんを予約よやくしたいです。 — I'd like to book a hair salon appointment. (polite, on the phone) 今日きょうは美容院びよういんに行いきます。 — I'm going to the hair salon today. (polite, a daily plan)

For a barbershop, 床屋とこや (とこや) is the everyday word. It is not 美容院びよういん, even though both cut hair.

How does it sound in anime?

Hospital scenes in anime tend to run on short, dramatic lines. A character shouting 先生せんせい! at a doctor, or 救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ! at the street, will use the plain forms without any お or さん. Hospital rooms also appear with the word 病室びょうしつ (びょうしつ), the patient's room. Notice that you almost never see 美容院びよういん in a dramatic scene — which might be the best memory aid: hospital scenes are tense, salon scenes are light.

Common mistakes

  • Saying びよういん for the hospital. This is the main trap. Remember: small ょ, four beats, "byo."
  • Treating 病院びょういんに行いく as always serious. In Japanese it is routine. If it is serious, the speaker adds words such as 入院にゅういん or 救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ.
  • Saying お医者いしゃさん about yourself. お医者いしゃさん is for someone else. Say 医者いしゃ for your own job.
  • Confusing 入院にゅういん with a visit. 病院びょういんに行いく is a visit. 入院にゅういん is a stay.
  • Mixing up the verbs. A person 診察しんさつを受うける (receives an examination), but a doctor 診察しんさつする (examines). The direction is different.
  • Forgetting the pause in 薬局やっきょく. It is やっきょく, with a small つ pause, not やくきょく.

Quick reference

Word Reading Meaning
病院びょういん びょういん hospital (also everyday word for clinic)
クリニック クリニック clinic
医院いいん いいん clinic (older style)
診療所しんりょうじょ しんりょうじょ clinic (formal)
医者いしゃ / お医者いしゃさん いしゃ / おいしゃさん doctor / doctor (polite)
診察しんさつ しんさつ examination, consultation
入院にゅういん / 退院たいいん にゅういん / たいいん admission / discharge
救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ きゅうきゅうしゃ ambulance
薬局やっきょく やっきょく pharmacy
美容院びよういん びよういん hair salon

If you need to ask where the nearest bathroom is on your way, where is the bathroom in Japanese: トイレ covers that.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 1 and 2 are a pair, and so are questions 3 and 4 — the same contrast from both directions.

1. How do you say "I'm going to the hospital" in Japanese?

Show answer

病院びょういんに行いきます — 病院びょういん (びょういん) is the destination, に marks it.

2. How do you say "I'm going to the hair salon" in Japanese?

Show answer

美容院びよういんに行いきます — 美容院びよういん (びよういん) has two full beats at the start: び and よ. This is the pair to question 1.

3. Which one has the small ょ: 病院びょういん or 美容院びよういん?

Show answer

病院びょういん (びょういん) — the びょ is one combined sound, so the word has four beats.

4. Which one has five beats: 病院びょういん or 美容院びよういん?

Show answer

美容院びよういん (びよういん) — び・よ・う・い・ん. This is the pair to question 3.

5. A friend says 友ともだちが入院にゅういんしました. Did the friend only visit the hospital?

Show answer

No — the friend was admitted. 入院にゅういん means staying in the hospital, which is bigger than a normal visit (病院びょういんに行いく).

6. What is the opposite of 入院にゅういん?

Show answer

退院たいいん (たいいん) — 入にゅう (enter) becomes 退たい (leave), so it means being discharged.

7. Which word do you use to talk about your own brother's job: 医者いしゃ or お医者いしゃさん?

Show answer

医者いしゃ — 兄あには医者いしゃです. お...さん is a respect marker for other people's doctors, not for your own family or yourself.

8. What do you say to a nearby person when you need an ambulance?

Show answer

救急車きゅうきゅうしゃを呼よんでください — 呼よぶ means "to call (someone)", and 119 is the number you dial.

9. What is the polite way to say "I buy medicine at the pharmacy"?

Show answer

薬局やっきょくで薬くすりを買かいます — で marks the place where the action happens, and 薬くすり is what you buy.

10. Fill in the blank: 来週らいしゅう、__します。 (I'll be leaving the hospital next week.)

Show answer

退院たいいん — 来週らいしゅう、退院たいいんします. 退院たいいん is the word for being discharged.

Tell a taxi driver whether you need a 病院びょういん or a 美容院びよういん in a role-play in a trial lesson, because びょういん and びよういん are one small sound apart.

FAQ

Is 病院びょういん only for hospitals, or can it mean a clinic too? Both. In everyday speech 病院びょういん is the general word for going to see a doctor. クリニック, 医院いいん and 診療所しんりょうじょ are more specific, but 病院びょういんに行いく is natural for any of them.

What is the number for an ambulance in Japan? 119 (ひゃくじゅうきゅうばん). It is the number for both fire and ambulance. The 救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ is the ambulance itself.

Can I say びよういん for the hospital? No. びよういん is 美容院びよういん, a hair salon. The hospital is びょういん, with the small ょ and one fewer beat.

What do I call the doctor when I talk to the doctor? 先生せんせい (せんせい). Use 医者いしゃ for the job, お医者いしゃさん for someone else's doctor in a polite way, and 先生せんせい when speaking directly to the doctor.

Is 薬局やっきょく the same as a hospital? No. A 薬局やっきょく is a pharmacy. It sells and hands out 薬くすり (medicine). A 病院びょういん or クリニック is where a doctor does the 診察しんさつ.

Are 入院にゅういん and 病院びょういんに行いく the same? No. 病院びょういんに行いく is a visit. 入院にゅういん means being admitted to stay, and 退院たいいん means leaving after that.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

病院	びょういん — hospital, clinic
美容院	びよういん — hair salon
クリニック	クリニック — clinic
医院	いいん — clinic (older style)
診療所	しんりょうじょ — clinic (formal)
歯医者	はいしゃ — dentist
医者	いしゃ — doctor
お医者さん	おいしゃさん — doctor (polite)
先生	せんせい — teacher, doctor (address)
診察	しんさつ — medical examination
薬局	やっきょく — pharmacy
薬	くすり — medicine
入院	にゅういん — hospital admission
退院	たいいん — hospital discharge
救急車	きゅうきゅうしゃ — ambulance
予約	よやく — reservation
床屋	とこや — barbershop
病室	びょうしつ — patient's room

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, which comes up in nearly every beginner's first few lessons. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

More “Animals, Nature & Everyday Places in Japanese” articles →

Want to try this in a real conversation?

30-minute trial lesson, $13. Times shown in your own timezone.

Practice it out loud with a Tokyo native. ★5.0 from 358 italki reviews.

See how the lessons work →

Book a trial lesson · $13