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Thai Medical and Health Vocabulary

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When traveling to Thailand or interacting with Thai speakers, knowing some basic medical and health-related vocabulary can be incredibly useful. Not only does it help in communicating your health needs, but it also ensures that you can understand directions and advice given by medical professionals. In this article, we will explore essential Thai medical vocabulary and phrases that will prepare you for a visit to the hospital, a pharmacy, or just talking about health in general.

Basic Medical Terms

Doctor in Thai is “เธซเธกเธญ” (maw). If you need to see a doctor, you might say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ•เน‰เธญเธ‡เธเธฒเธฃเธžเธšเธซเธกเธญ (chฤƒn dtรดng gaan pรณp maw)

Hospital is translated as “เน‚เธฃเธ‡เธžเธขเธฒเธšเธฒเธฅ” (roong pha-ya-baan). In case of an emergency, you might need to say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ•เน‰เธญเธ‡เน„เธ›เน‚เธฃเธ‡เธžเธขเธฒเธšเธฒเธฅ (chฤƒn dtรดng bpai roong pha-ya-baan)

Pharmacy or “เธฃเน‰เธฒเธ™เธ‚เธฒเธขเธขเธฒ” (rรกan kฤƒai yaa) is where you get your prescriptions filled. To ask where the pharmacy is, you could ask:

เธฃเน‰เธฒเธ™เธ‚เธฒเธขเธขเธฒเธญเธขเธนเนˆเธ—เธตเนˆเน„เธซเธ™ (rรกan kฤƒai yaa yรฒo tรชe nฤƒi)

Medicine is generally referred to as “เธขเธฒ” (yaa) in Thai. If you need medicine, you might say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ•เน‰เธญเธ‡เธเธฒเธฃเธขเธฒ (chฤƒn dtรดng gaan yaa)

Describing Symptoms

Being able to describe your symptoms accurately is crucial. For fever, the Thai word is “เน„เธ‚เน‰” (kรขi). You might need to say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธกเธตเน„เธ‚เน‰ (chฤƒn mee kรขi)

For pain, the word is “เธ›เธงเธ”” (bpรนat). If you’re experiencing a headache, you would say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ›เธงเธ”เธซเธฑเธง (chฤƒn bpรนat hลญa)

If you have a stomachache, you could express this by saying:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ›เธงเธ”เธ—เน‰เธญเธ‡ (chฤƒn bpรนat tรณng)

Cough in Thai is “เน„เธญ” (ai) and to say you have a cough, you would say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เน„เธญ (chฤƒn ai)

Asking for Help or Advice

Knowing how to ask for help or advice in a pharmacy or hospital is equally important. To ask for something that helps with pain, you might say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ‚เธญเธขเธฒเนเธเน‰เธ›เธงเธ”เน„เธ”เน‰เน„เธซเธก (chฤƒn kลr yaa gรขe bpรนat dรขi mฤƒi)

If you need something for a cold, you could ask:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ‚เธญเธขเธฒเนเธเน‰เธซเธงเธฑเธ”เน„เธ”เน‰เน„เธซเธก (chฤƒn kลr yaa gรขe wร t dรขi mฤƒi)

In case you need to explain that you’re allergic to something, itโ€™s crucial to know the word for allergic, which is “เนเธžเน‰” (pรกe). You could say:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เนเธžเน‰เธญเธฒเธซเธฒเธฃเธ—เธฐเน€เธฅ (chฤƒn pรกe aa-hฤƒan tรก-lay)

Visiting a Hospital or Clinic

When visiting a hospital, you might need to fill out forms or describe your health history. Knowing terms for health insurance, “เธ›เธฃเธฐเธเธฑเธ™เธชเธธเธ‚เธ เธฒเธž” (bprร -gan sรนk-kร -pรขap), can be helpful. You might need to explain:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธกเธตเธ›เธฃเธฐเธเธฑเธ™เธชเธธเธ‚เธ เธฒเธž (chฤƒn mee bprร -gan sรนk-kร -pรขap)

If you’re referred to a specialist, the term in Thai is “เนเธžเธ—เธขเนŒเน€เธ‰เธžเธฒเธฐเธ—เธฒเธ‡” (pรกet chร -pรขw taang). You might hear:

เธ„เธธเธ“เธ•เน‰เธญเธ‡เน„เธ›เธžเธšเนเธžเธ—เธขเนŒเน€เธ‰เธžเธฒเธฐเธ—เธฒเธ‡ (kun dtรดng bpai pรณp pรกet chร -pรขw taang)

Emergency Situations

In an emergency, knowing some key phrases can make a big difference. For instance, to call for an ambulance, you would say:

เธ‚เธญเธฃเธ–เธžเธขเธฒเธšเธฒเธฅเธซเธ™เนˆเธญเธข (kลr rรณt pha-ya-baan nรฒi)

To tell someone you need help immediately, you could express:

เธ‰เธฑเธ™เธ•เน‰เธญเธ‡เธเธฒเธฃเธ„เธงเธฒเธกเธŠเนˆเธงเธขเน€เธซเธฅเธทเธญเธ”เนˆเธงเธ™ (chฤƒn dtรดng gaan khwaam chรปay lฤ›ua dรนan)

Understanding and being able to use these basic Thai medical and health vocabulary can significantly ease your communication in a medical setting, ensuring that you receive the appropriate care and assistance. Whether it’s a minor ailment or a more serious condition, being prepared with the right words can make your healthcare experience in Thailand much smoother.

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