How to Say Pain in Japanese: Words, Phrases & Onomatopoeia Guide

How do you say “pain” in Japanese? Whether you’re traveling, visiting a doctor in Japan, or just learning the language, knowing how to express pain accurately can be life-saving — literally.

Japanese has a rich vocabulary for describing pain, including:

Basic words like itai (painful) and itami (pain)
Practical phrases like “my head hurts” and “it hurts here”
Body part vocabulary for headaches, stomachaches, and more
Unique onomatopoeia like zukizuki (throbbing) and gangan (pounding) — a fascinating feature of Japanese that even doctors use!

In this complete guide, you’ll learn everything you need to communicate pain in Japanese — from a simple “ouch!” to describing exactly what kind of pain you’re feeling at a hospital.

Let’s dive in!

1. The Basic Word for Pain: 痛い (Itai) and 痛み (Itami)

Two essential words to know:

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Type
痛い	Itai	“Painful” / “It hurts”	Adjective
痛み	Itami	“Pain”	Noun

痛い (Itai) — The Most Common Word for “It Hurts”

Itai (痛い) is the word you’ll use 90% of the time. It literally means “painful” but is used like the English “ouch!” or “it hurts.”

Examples:

「いたい!」 Itai! — “Ouch!”
「あたまがいたい」 Atama ga itai — “My head hurts.”
「すごくいたい」 Sugoku itai — “It really hurts.”

Pro tip: When you’re in real pain, just shout 「いたい!」 — every Japanese person will instantly understand.

痛み (Itami) — The Noun “Pain”

Itami (痛み) is the noun form, used when describing pain more formally — like at a hospital or in writing.

Examples:

「いたみがあります」 Itami ga arimasu — “I have pain.”
「ひどいいたみです」 Hidoi itami desu — “It’s a terrible pain.”

2. Essential “It Hurts” Phrases in Japanese

Knowing how to combine itai with body parts is the key to communicating pain naturally.

The Basic Pattern: [Body Part] が痛い (ga itai) = “My [body part] hurts”

English	Japanese	Romaji
My head hurts	あたまがいたい	Atama ga itai
My stomach hurts	おなかがいたい	Onaka ga itai
My throat hurts	のどがいたい	Nodo ga itai
My back hurts	せなかがいたい	Senaka ga itai
My tooth hurts	はがいたい	Ha ga itai
My eyes hurt	めがいたい	Me ga itai
My chest hurts	むねがいたい	Mune ga itai
It hurts here	ここがいたい	Koko ga itai

Useful Variations

「いたいです」 Itai desu — “It hurts.” (polite)
「ちょっといたい」 Chotto itai — “It hurts a little.”
「とてもいたい」 Totemo itai — “It hurts a lot.”
「いたかった」 Itakatta — “It hurt.” (past tense)

3. Japanese Words for Body Parts and Common Pains

Here are the medical-style noun forms for common pains — useful at hospitals and pharmacies.

English	Japanese	Romaji
Headache	頭痛	Zutsuu
Stomachache	腹痛	Fukutsuu
Toothache	歯痛	Shitsuu
Sore throat	のどの痛み	Nodo no itami
Back pain	腰痛	Youtsuu
Joint pain	関節痛	Kansetsutsuu
Muscle pain	筋肉痛	Kinnikutsuu
Menstrual pain	生理痛	Seiritsuu

Pattern note: Many medical terms end in 痛 (tsuu) — meaning “pain” — combined with the body part. Once you spot this pattern, you’ll recognize dozens of medical words!

How to Use Them at a Hospital

「ずつうがします」 Zutsuu ga shimasu — “I have a headache.”
「ふくつうです」 Fukutsuu desu — “I have a stomachache.”
「ようつうがあります」 Youtsuu ga arimasu — “I have back pain.”

4. Japanese Pain Onomatopoeia: The Secret Vocabulary Doctors Want to Hear

Here’s something fascinating: in Japan, doctors actually ask patients to describe pain using onomatopoeia — sound-symbolic words that capture the feeling of pain.

When a Japanese doctor asks 「どんな痛みですか?」 Donna itami desu ka? (“What kind of pain is it?”), they expect an onomatopoeic answer.

This is unique to Japanese — and once you learn these, you can describe pain more precisely than in English!

The 12 Most Important Pain Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia	Romaji	Type of Pain	Best For
ずきずき	Zukizuki	Throbbing	Headache, toothache
がんがん	Gangan	Pounding	Severe headache, hangover
しくしく	Shikushiku	Dull, aching	Stomachache
きりきり	Kirikiri	Sharp, twisting	Stomach cramps, ulcers
じんじん	Jinjin	Tingling, numbing	Smashed finger, numb limbs
ちくちく	Chikuchiku	Pricking	Skin pain, allergy
ひりひり	Hirihiri	Burning, stinging	Sunburn, scrapes
ぴりぴり	Piripiri	Sharp tingling	Burns, electric pain
いがいが	Igaiga	Itchy soreness	Sore throat
びりびり	Biribiri	Electric shock	Numbness, nerve pain
ぎしぎし	Gishigishi	Creaking	Joint pain
ごりごり	Gorigori	Grinding	Stiff shoulders, joints

How Doctors Use Onomatopoeia

“Atama ga gangan itamu” (頭ががんがん痛む) — “My head is pounding”
“I ga kirikiri itamu” (胃がきりきり痛む) — “I have a sharp twisting stomach pain”
“Nodo ga igaiga suru” (のどがいがいがする) — “My throat is itchy/scratchy”

When you use these phrases, Japanese doctors can immediately understand the type of pain — often more precisely than describing it in plain words!

⚠️ Don’t Mismatch Onomatopoeia and Body Parts

Each onomatopoeia goes with specific types of pain. Avoid these common mistakes:

❌ “Nodo ga gangan itai” (My throat is pounding) — gangan is for heads, not throats ❌ “Atama ga shikushiku itai” (My head is dully aching) — shikushiku is for stomachs, not heads

✅ “Atama ga gangan itai” — Correct ✅ “Onaka ga shikushiku itai” — Correct

5. Other Useful Japanese Words for Feeling Unwell

Pain isn’t the only sensation you might need to describe. These onomatopoeia cover other physical feelings:

Symptom	Japanese	Romaji
Dizziness	くらくら	Kurakura
Nausea	むかむか	Mukamuka
Swollen hands/feet	ぱんぱん	Panpan
Racing heartbeat	どきどき	Dokidoki
Feverish/feeling hot	ぼうっと	Bōtto
Heavy/sluggish body	だるい	Darui (adjective)

Useful phrases:

「くらくらします」 Kurakura shimasu — “I feel dizzy.”
「むかむかします」 Mukamuka shimasu — “I feel nauseous.”
「だるいです」 Darui desu — “I feel sluggish.”

6. How to Describe Pain Levels

When the doctor asks how severe the pain is, here are the words you need:

Level	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
1	少しいたい	Sukoshi itai	A little painful
2	ちょっといたい	Chotto itai	Slightly painful
3	いたい	Itai	Painful
4	けっこういたい	Kekkou itai	Quite painful
5	すごくいたい	Sugoku itai	Very painful
6	ものすごくいたい	Monosugoku itai	Extremely painful
7	がまんできない	Gaman dekinai	Unbearable

7. Quick Reference: Survival Phrases for the Hospital

Save these for your phone — they could save you in an emergency in Japan!

Situation	Japanese	Romaji
It hurts here	ここがいたいです	Koko ga itai desu
I have a fever	ねつがあります	Netsu ga arimasu
I feel sick	きぶんがわるいです	Kibun ga warui desu
Please call an ambulance	きゅうきゅうしゃをよんでください	Kyuukyuusha wo yonde kudasai
Where is the hospital?	びょういんはどこですか	Byouin wa doko desu ka
Do you speak English?	えいごをはなせますか	Eigo wo hanasemasu ka

Practice Japanese with Native Speakers — For Free!

The vocabulary in this article will help you survive medical situations in Japan — but real fluency comes from practice. The good news? You don’t need to be in pain to start practicing Japanese!

At Ohanasi Kagawa, we connect Japanese learners from around the world with native Japanese speakers for free language exchange events every weekend:

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You don’t need to be in Japan to start practicing real Japanese.

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Summary: How to Say Pain in Japanese

Key takeaways:

痛い (Itai) is the all-purpose word for “it hurts” — use it for almost any pain
痛み (Itami) is the noun form — used in formal/medical contexts
Japanese has special medical noun forms like 頭痛 (zutsuu = headache) and 腹痛 (fukutsuu = stomachache)
Onomatopoeia like ずきずき (zukizuki) and がんがん (gangan) are essential — Japanese doctors actually expect you to use them!
Match each onomatopoeia to the right body part — don’t say “atama ga shikushiku” 😅

The best way to remember all this? Practice with real Japanese speakers!

👉 Join Ohanasi Kagawa for free and practice Japanese with native speakers →

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