A Simple Medical Turkish Glossary for Foreign Nationals

[عناقيد]

A Simple Medical Turkish Glossary for Foreign Nationals
Useful words for hospitals and pharmacies — English edition of the 2025 guide

At a hospital or pharmacy, a short list of relevant words can be more useful than trying to learn the whole language. The original used simplified Latin spellings; this edition gives standard Turkish spelling so you can recognise signs and show phrases to staff.

1. Places and services
• Hospital — hastane
• Emergency department — acil
• Outpatient clinic — poliklinik
• Pharmacy — eczane
• On-duty pharmacy — nöbetçi eczane
• Laboratory — laboratuvar
• X-ray / radiology — röntgen / radyoloji
• Ultrasound — ultrason
• MRI — emar (MR)
• CT scan — tomografi

2. Departments and specialties
• Internal medicine — dahiliye
• Cardiology — kardiyoloji
• Neurology — nöroloji
• Orthopaedics — ortopedi
• Ear, nose and throat — KBB
• Dermatology — dermatoloji
• Paediatrics — çocuk
• Obstetrics and gynaecology — kadın doğum
• Psychiatry — psikiyatri

3. Common symptoms
• Pain — ağrı
• Fever — ateş
• Cough — öksürük
• Sore throat — boğaz ağrısı
• Shortness of breath — nefes darlığı
• Dizziness — baş dönmesi
• Nausea — mide bulantısı
• Vomiting — kusma
• Diarrhoea — ishal
• Constipation — kabızlık
• Headache — baş ağrısı
• Allergy — alerji
• Swelling — şişlik
• Rash — döküntü
• Bleeding — kanama

4. Phrases for the doctor
1. It hurts here — burası ağrıyor
2. It started today / yesterday — bugün başladı / dün başladı
3. It is getting worse — daha kötü oluyor
4. I have a chronic condition — kronik hastalığım var
5. I take these medicines — bu ilaçları kullanıyorum
6. I am allergic to this medicine — bu ilaca alerjim var
7. I need an interpreter — tercüman lazım

5. Pharmacy phrases
• I have a prescription — reçetem var
• Is there a cheaper equivalent? — daha ucuz muadili var mı?
• How do I take or use this? — bunu nasıl kullanacağım?
• Before food / after food — yemekten önce / yemekten sonra
• How many times a day? — günde kaç kez?

6. Tests and results
• Blood test — kan tahlili
• Urine test — idrar tahlili
• Result — sonuç
• Report — rapor
• Normal — normal
• High / low — yüksek / düşük

7. Bills and insurance
• Insurance — sigorta
• Cover — teminat
• Patient contribution / co-payment — katılım payı
• Approval — onay
• Invoice — fatura
• Receipt — makbuz

8. Emergency phrases
• Call an ambulance — ambulans çağırın
• I cannot breathe — nefes alamıyorum
• Chest pain — göğüs ağrısı
• I feel faint — bayılacak gibiyim
• Severe bleeding — şiddetli kanama

Using the glossary
Start by learning 15 words most relevant to you. Copy the sections you need into your phone's notes. For a shorter version, make a personal list of 20 essential phrases for quick use in a hospital or pharmacy.

Editorial clarification — 8 October 2026
Standard Turkish characters have been restored. The source's unsupported claim that 15 words cover 80% of situations is replaced with a practical learning suggestion; a glossary cannot guarantee communication in an emergency.

Source article's stated review date: 2025 (original guide). English edition checked: 8 October 2026.

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