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When things go wrong4 min read

Japanese for when things go wrong: the phrases to learn before you need them

ReviewAnswered out loud

At the pharmacy · say it in Japanese

Tell the pharmacist you've had a cough since yesterday.

You said

Understandable

Correct Japanese? Yes

Sounds natural? Not quite

咳をしています sounds like you're coughing on purpose. A symptom "comes out": 咳が出ます.

More natural

AgainHardGoodEasy

Kiko suggests a grade and brings the natural version back until it's the one you say.

Right, but not natural — the gap no textbook marks. Kiko catches it on every card you say out loud.

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In an emergency in Japan, call 110 for the police and 119 for an ambulance or the fire service. The Japanese that helps most is short: (please help), (I feel unwell) and (I've lost my passport). This guide covers the pharmacy, the koban, lost property and asking for someone who speaks English.

Updated · 14 phrases, each with its reading and JLPT level

What you'll learn

  • The numbers to call, and what they'll ask you
  • Describing what hurts to a pharmacist
  • Reporting a lost passport or wallet at a koban
  • Asking for someone who speaks English

Numbers and places to know

110 is the police. 119 is an ambulance or the fire service; you'll be asked — fire or medical? Both numbers are free from any phone.

A koban (交番) is a small neighbourhood police box, and there is one near almost every station. It's the place for lost property, a stolen wallet, or simply being lost. For medicine, a 薬局 is a pharmacy with a pharmacist; a ドラッグストア sells over-the-counter medicine alongside everything else.

Spot the mistake

3 slips almost everyone makes here. Can you catch them before Kiko does?

This is how a practice conversation in Kiko goes. Each learner line below has one mistake in it — the kind you won't hear yourself make. Tap the part you'd fix, and watch how Kiko marks it without stopping the conversation.

At the pharmacyKiko plays the pharmacist

1 / 3

Hello. What seems to be the problem?

Learner

Meant: I have a headache.

Something's off. Tap the part you'd fix.

In an emergency

Short and clear is what matters here. Save for real emergencies; for everyday help, is the word.

  • JLPT N5

    Please help me!

    Emergencies only; for everyday help use すみません.

  • JLPT N4

    Please call the police.

    Police 110, ambulance and fire 119.

  • JLPT N3

    Is there anyone who speaks English?

    Last resort — trying in Japanese first goes a long way.

  • JLPT N3

    Could you lend me a phone?

    ませんか is a softer, more apologetic request than ますか.

Feeling ill

For most things a pharmacist can help, and they are used to visitors. Describe what's wrong with a body part and : , . The pharmacist will ask about fever (熱), coughing (せき) and how long it's been going on.

When you're handed medicine, listen for when to take it: means after meals, and three times a day. Keep receipts if you have travel insurance.

At the pharmacy or the doctor

Swap the body part to describe any pain.

  • JLPT N4

    I'm feeling unwell.

    General nausea or faintness, not injury.

  • JLPT N5

    I have a headache.

    Swap the body part: お腹, のど, 歯 が痛いです.

  • JLPT N3

    I have an upset stomach.

    Set phrase for stomach trouble; pharmacists understand instantly.

  • JLPT N4

    Do you have cold medicine?

    Pharmacist will ask about your symptoms: 熱, せき, のど.

  • JLPT N3

    How should I take this medicine?

    Listen for 食後 (after meals) and 一日三回 (three times a day).

  • JLPT N4

    Is there a hospital nearby?

    薬局 for pharmacy, 診療所 for a small rural clinic.

  • JLPT N3

    I have travel insurance.

    保険に入る = to be insured. Ask for a 領収書 for claims.

Try it now · 30 seconds

Your turn. Answer Kiko.

Kiko speaks first. Answer out loud — really out loud — before you peek. Producing it cold is the skill a page can't train.

Are you all right? You look pale.

You

Say: “I'm feeling unwell.”

Lost or stolen

Japan is famous for returning lost things, and it deserves the reputation: wallets and phones handed in with everything still inside are normal. Go to the nearest koban and report it — they'll take the details and a contact number.

For a lost passport, the koban will give you a report you'll need at your embassy or consulate. If you're not sure whether something was stolen or just dropped, (I've lost it) is the safer thing to say.

Lost property and theft

Have the when and where ready; it's the first thing you'll be asked.

  • JLPT N4

    I lost my passport.

    Go to a 交番; they'll write a report for your embassy.

  • JLPT N3

    My wallet was stolen.

    Passive 盗まれる. If unsure, say なくしました instead.

  • JLPT N3

    I'd like to report it at the police box.

    届ける here means to report or hand in a lost item.

Practise it out loud

Reading a phrase and saying it with someone waiting are different things. In these scenes Kiko plays the other person and opens with the line below; you answer out loud, and Kiko marks what to fix without stopping the conversation.

  • At the pharmacy

    JLPT N3
    Answer Kiko in this scene

  • Lost passport at a koban

    JLPT N3
    Answer Kiko in this scene

  • Lost wallet at a koban

    JLPT N4–N3
    Answer Kiko in this scene

  • Missing the last bus in the countryside

    JLPT N3
    Answer Kiko in this scene

Questions

What are the emergency numbers in Japan?
110 for the police, and 119 for an ambulance or the fire service. Both are free to call from any phone.
What is a koban?
A koban (交番) is a small local police box, usually staffed around the clock. It's where you report lost property or theft, and where you can ask for directions.
What should I do if I lose my passport in Japan?
Report it at a koban or police station first — — and ask for the report. Then contact your embassy or consulate, which will need that report to issue a replacement.

Now you know what to say

Here's why it still won't come out — and how to fix that

  • You read the phrase, nod, and forget it by the time you land.

    Review you say out loud

    The phrases you practise come back in spaced review — and you answer by speaking, not by flipping a card.

  • You know the line, but go blank when someone's actually waiting.

    Voice roleplay

    Kiko plays the other person — the waiter, the station staff, the ryokan host — so you say it out loud, with a reply coming back, before it counts.

  • The guide can't tell you what you got wrong.

    Corrections that don't stop you

    Say it wrong and the conversation keeps going. Afterwards, Kiko shows the exact particle or ending to fix.

  • Real people don't follow the script.

    Replies you didn't expect

    Kiko answers in natural Japanese and asks the follow-up questions real staff ask, so the second line doesn't catch you out.

  • Practice feels like a chore you'll drop after a week.

    No streaks, no guilt

    No streaks to lose and no nagging reminders. Ten minutes when you have them, and everything is still there when you come back.

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