안녕하세요 여러분? 오랜만이예요! Sindhu 입니다. Welcome back to our Medical Korean series! Thanks for tagging along to this point – today, we’re finally tackling a conversation with a doctor in Korean.
Today’s dialogue is the first of a few and focuses on a patient presenting with a headache. I’ve modeled this conversation after one that you would normally see with a doctor in the United States, so it may not be the same dialogue or tone of conversation that you would experience with a physician in Korea or other countries.
Feel free to see if you can guess what’s causing this patient’s headache before you get to the end, and practice the conversation as both the physician and the patient!
Disclaimer, I am in no way fluent in Korean yet, so if you see any mistakes, errors, or better ways to phrase a sentence, please don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments below. 같이 공부하자!
한국어로 대화
의사: 안녕하세요, 무슨 일로 오셨어요?
환자: 안녕하세요 선생님. 두통이 있어요.
의사: 언제부터 아프셨어요?
환자: 어제 아침 부터요.
의사: 계속 아프세요?
환자: 네.
의사: 어디가 아프세요?
환자: 이마와 관자놀이에 아파요.
의사: 어떻게 아프세요?
환자: 묵직한 욱신거리는 통증이에요.
의사: 아픈 정도를 1에서 10까지의 숫자로 표현해주세요.
환자: 4점 정도요.
의사: 약을 먹었습니까?
환자: 네, 이부프로펜을 먹었어요. 그리고, 기침을 많이 해서 기침약도 먹었어요.
의사: 그래요? 다른 증상은 없나요?
환자: 온몸이 쑤셔요. 재채기를 하고 있었고 코가 막혔어요. 목도 아파요.
의사: 열이 있으셨나요?
환자: 없어요.
의사: 네, 감기 걸린 것 같아요. 세균감염을 판별하기 위해서 목에서 표본을 채취해 봅시다. 약을 처방하고 푹 쉬셔야 돼요.
환자: 네, 감사합니다 선생님.
영어로 대화
Doctor: Hello, what brings you in today?
Patient: Hello doctor. I have a headache.
D: When did your headache start?
P: Yesterday morning.
D: Does it constantly hurt?
P: Yes.
D: Where does it hurt?
P: In the front of my head and around my temples
D: How would you describe the pain?
P: Dull and throbbing.
D: On a scale of 1 – 10, how much does your head hurt?
P: Around a 4.
D: Have you taken any medications?
P: Yes, ibuprofen. I also took some nasal decongestant because my nose has been stuffy.
D: Oh, I see. Have you had any other symptoms?
P: My whole body aches. I have been sneezing, and my nose is congested too. My throat has been sore sometimes.
D: Have you had a fever?
P: No.
D: Okay, it sounds like you have a cold. Let’s do a throat swab to see if it is bacterial. I will prescribe you medicine, and make sure that you get a lot of rest.
P: Okay, thank you doctor.
Variations
As is common in the Korean language, there are multiple ways to phrase a sentence. I’ve listed some ways to say some phrases listed in the dialogue above! The bullet point is the original sentence, and the subsections below it are the different phrasings that you might hear and what they translate to!
Hello, what brings you in today?
무엇을 도와드릴까요?
How can I help you?
I have a headache
머리가 아파요
My head hurts
How would you describe the pain?
머리가 어떻게 아프신거에요?
Where does your head hurt?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how would you describe the pain?
십점 만점에 몇점 정도 아프세요?
If 10 is the highest score, how painful is it?
More colloquial tone
Have you had any other symptoms?
다른 아픈 곳은 없나요?
Is there any other place that hurts?
I’ll prescribe you some medicine
약을 처방해드릴게요
I will prescribe you medicine
Standalone sentence in polite form
Key words
Headache: 두통
Constantly: 계속
Temples: 관자놀이
Dull (regarding pain): 묵직하다
Throbbing: 욱신거리다
Pain: 통증
To express or represent: 표현하다
Degree or grade: 정도
Medicine: 약
Cough: 기침
To cough: 기침하다
Cough medicine: 기침약
Symptom: 증상
To ache: 쑤시다
To be congested (nose): 막히다
To sneeze: 재채기하다
Fever: 열
Cold (sickness): 감기
To catch a cold: 감기 걸리다
Bacterial: 세균감염
To distinguish or discern: 판별하다
Sample: 표본
To collect or gather (a sample): 채취하다
To prescribe: 처방하다
Here are some websites that have great vocabulary and conversation practice for a dialogue with a doctor as well. Check them out for more information and resources!
Comment below with what other dialogue you'd like to see in the future! Next week, we'll take a deeper look into other parts of a medical visit, including medical and social history!