Taiwan hospital Mandarin phrases
Get through a Taiwanese hospital visit in Mandarin: registering and the ER, your NHI card, waiting for your number, blood tests and X-rays, paying, and picking up medicine.
A Taiwanese hospital visit runs on a fixed sequence, and knowing the sequence matters more than knowing the vocabulary. You register for a specific department (guàhào), you're told whether it's a first visit or a follow-up, you wait in the hòuzhěnqū for your number to be called to a numbered consulting room, you see the doctor, and then you go to the payment counter — pījià — before finally collecting your medicine.
Bring your NHI card and your ARC. If you're not sure which department you need, jiāyīkē (family medicine) is the general-purpose starting point and they'll redirect you. In an emergency, jízhěn is the word for the ER, and you say wǒ yào kàn jízhěn rather than trying to register normally.
26 phrases for doctor & hospital
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| I need to see the emergency room. | wǒ yào kàn jízhěn. | 我要看急診。 |
| Where is the emergency room? | jízhěnshì zài nǎlǐ? | 急診室在哪裡？ |
| Call an ambulance! | jiào jiùhùchē! | 叫救護車！ |
| I'd like to register for family medicine. | wǒ yào guàhào kàn jiāyīkē. | 我要掛號看家醫科。 |
| Here's my NHI card. | zhè shì wǒ de jiànbǎokǎ. | 這是我的健保卡。 |
| I didn't bring my NHI card. | wǒ méiyǒu dài jiànbǎokǎ. | 我沒有帶健保卡。 |
| What number are they on now? | xiànzài jiào dào jǐ hào? | 現在叫到幾號？ |
| Consultation room 3. | sān hào zhěnjiān | 三號診間 |
| About three days now. | dàgài sān tiān le. | 大概三天了。 |
| I feel dizzy. | wǒ tóuyūn. | 我頭暈。 |
| I feel nauseous. | wǒ xiǎng tù. | 我想吐。 |
| I have diarrhea. | wǒ lā dùzi. | 我拉肚子。 |
| I have no energy at all. | wǒ quánshēn wúlì. | 我全身無力。 |
| Take your temperature. | liáng tǐwēn | 量體溫 |
| Do I need a shot? | yào dǎzhēn ma? | 要打針嗎？ |
| I'm taking other medication. | wǒ zài chī biéde yào. | 我在吃別的藥。 |
| Come back for a follow-up next week. | xià xīngqí huízhěn. | 下星期回診。 |
What you'll hear back
The other half of the conversation — what the vendor, clerk or nurse says to you. Understanding these is usually harder than speaking.
| What they say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| First visit or a follow-up? | chūzhěn háishì fùzhěn? | 初診還是複診？ |
| Please wait in the waiting area. | qǐng zài hòuzhěnqū shāo děng. | 請在候診區稍等。 |
| How long has this been going on? | zhèyàng duōjiǔ le? | 這樣多久了？ |
| Let's take your blood pressure first. | xiān liáng xiěyā. | 先量血壓。 |
| We need to draw blood. | xūyào chōuxiě. | 需要抽血。 |
| You'll need an X-ray. | yào zhào X guāng. | 要照X光。 |
| Pay at the cashier first. | qǐng xiān qù pījià. | 請先去批價。 |
| Pick up your medicine at the pharmacy. | dào yàojú lǐng yào. | 到藥局領藥。 |
| Any allergies? | yǒu méi yǒu guòmǐn? | 有沒有過敏？ |
Questions people ask
What do I need to bring?
Your NHI card and your ARC. Without the NHI card you can usually still be seen, but you'll pay the full self-pay rate that visit — zhè shì wǒ de jiànbǎokǎ is what you say when you hand it over.
What is 批價?
The payment counter. In most hospitals you see the doctor first and pay afterwards at pījià, then take the receipt to the pharmacy window to collect your medicine.
Which department should I register for?
If you don't know, register for jiāyīkē (family medicine) and explain the problem — they'll treat you or point you to the right specialist. For anything urgent, go to jízhěn instead.
How do I get paperwork for an insurance claim?
Ask for a zhěnduàn zhèngmíng — a medical certificate — at the counter before you leave. Insurers generally want that plus the itemised receipt, and it's much easier to request on the day than to come back for.