Korean Health Talk: Body Parts & Common Symptoms (A2)

Feeling under the weather in Korea? Knowing how to name body parts and describe symptoms helps you get care quickly and confidently. In this A2-friendly lesson, you’ll learn everyday Korean health vocabulary, simple grammar to say what hurts, and polite phrases for the clinic and pharmacy—plus bite-sized exercises to practice right away.

Core body parts you’ll use today

Here are the most common, everyday words for body parts you’ll need to talk about health and pain.

  • 머리: head
  • 얼굴: face
  • 눈: eye(s)
  • 코: nose
  • 입: mouth
  • 귀: ear
  • 목: neck/throat
  • 어깨: shoulder
  • 팔: arm
  • 손: hand
  • 손가락: finger
  • 가슴: chest
  • 배: stomach/belly
  • 허리: lower back/waist
  • 등: back
  • 다리: leg
  • 무릎: knee
  • 발: foot
  • 발가락: toe
  • 이(치아): tooth (everyday: 이; medical: 치아)

Tip: “머리” is head. “머리카락” is hair. Hair doesn’t “hurt,” so you’ll say 머리가 아파요 (my head hurts), not 머리카락이 아파요.

머리 meori
head
noun
머리가 아파요.
My head hurts.
배 bae
stomach, belly
noun
배가 아파요.
My stomach hurts.
목 mok
neck, throat
noun
목이 아파요.
My throat hurts.
허리 heori
lower back, waist
noun
허리가 아파요.
My lower back hurts.
발 bal
foot
noun
발이 아파요.
My foot hurts.
Korean
눈이 아파요.
Lit: Eye + subject marker + hurts
My eye hurts.
Korean
어깨가 아파요.
Lit: Shoulder + subject marker + hurts
My shoulder hurts.
머리를 아파요. → 머리가 아파요. With 아프다, mark the body part as the subject (이/가), not the object (을/를).

저는 가 아파요.

🔠 Put the words in order

Say: I have to go to the hospital today.

Symptoms and simple health phrases

Now let’s describe common symptoms. You’ll hear these often at the pharmacy (약국) or clinic (병원).

감기 gamgi
a cold
noun
감기에 걸렸어요.
I caught a cold.
열 yeol
fever
noun
열이 나요.
I have a fever.
기침하다 gichimhada
to cough
verb
요즘 기침해요.
I’ve been coughing lately.
두통 dutong
headache
noun
두통이 있어요.
I have a headache.
약 yak
medicine
noun
약을 먹어요.
I take medicine.
Korean
배가 아파서 병원에 갔어요.
Lit: Stomach + hurts so + to hospital + went
My stomach hurt, so I went to the hospital.

감기약 주세요.

🧠 Symptoms quick check
💬 At the pharmacy (약국)

Culture: Clinics (병원) and pharmacies (약국)

  • In Korea, many people visit small clinics (병원) directly without an appointment for common issues, or go to a pharmacy (약국) first for over‑the‑counter advice.
  • Pharmacists often ask your symptoms—be ready to say one or two main issues: “목이 아파요.” “기침해요.” “열이 나요.”
  • To be extra polite, add 요, and use 좀 for requests: “물 좀 주세요.”

Useful question: 약국 어디에 있어요? (Where is a pharmacy?)

아프다 present polite
Pronoun Conjugation
저 아프아요
너 아프아요
그/그녀 아프아요
우리 아프아요
여러분 아프아요

Past tense is also common: 아팠어요 (hurt). The ㅡ in 아프다 drops and combines with 아, so 아프 + 았어요 → 아팠어요.

어제 가 아팠어요.

병원 hospital (병: illness + 원: institute) 약국 pharmacy (약: medicine + 국: bureau/shop) 두통 headache (두: head + 통: pain)

Putting it together: short patterns to use

  • X이/가 아파요. (X hurts.) 머리가 아파요.
  • X이/가 있어요. (I have X.) 두통이 있어요.
  • 열이 나요. (I have a fever.)
  • 약을 먹어요. (I take medicine.)
  • 병원에 가야 해요. (I have to go to the hospital.)
  • 감기약 좀 주세요. (Please give me cold medicine.)

Try making your own: “오늘 ___이 아파요, 그래서 약을 ___.” For example: 오늘 목이 아파요, 그래서 약을 먹어요.

Quick review

You learned essential body parts, symptoms, and polite pharmacy/clinic phrases. Remember the key grammar: “body part + 이/가 + 아파요.” Soft, polite requests use 좀 + 주세요.

Keep practicing by describing your day:

  • 아침에 머리가 조금 아파요.
  • 점심에 괜찮아요.
  • 저녁에 피곤해서 일찍 자요.

You’ve got this—stay healthy and keep speaking! 다음에 또 만나요!