Korean pharmacies handle a lot of what would need a doctor elsewhere. Cold medicine, painkillers, stomach remedies, and digestive aids are all available over the counter, and the pharmacist will usually ask a couple of questions before choosing one for you.
That conversation is short, but it is a conversation, which is more than most tourist phrasebooks prepare you for.
Finding one
약국 — pharmacy. Look for a green cross sign.
Most close in the evening, but 24-hour pharmacies exist near large hospitals. In an emergency, hospital emergency rooms dispense too.
Describing what's wrong
The pattern is ~이/가 아파요 — ~ hurts.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 머리가 아파요 | I have a headache |
| 배가 아파요 | I have a stomachache |
| 목이 아파요 | I have a sore throat |
| 이가 아파요 | I have a toothache |
Other common symptoms:
- 열이 나요. — I have a fever.
- 기침을 해요. — I have a cough.
- 콧물이 나요. — I have a runny nose.
- 소화가 안 돼요. — I have indigestion.
- 설사를 해요. — I have diarrhea.
Asking for medicine
~ 있어요? — do you have ~?
- 감기약 있어요? — Do you have cold medicine?
- 두통약 있어요? — Headache medicine?
- 소화제 있어요? — Digestive medicine?
- 반창고 있어요? — Bandages?
| Korean | What it is |
|---|---|
| 감기약 | cold medicine |
| 두통약 | headache medicine |
| 진통제 | painkiller |
| 소화제 | digestive aid |
| 해열제 | fever reducer |
| 연고 | ointment |
| 파스 | medicated patch |
What the pharmacist will ask
- 기침도 하세요? — Do you have a cough too?
- 열도 있으세요? — Do you have a fever as well?
- 언제부터 아팠어요? — Since when has it hurt?
- 알레르기 있으세요? — Do you have any allergies?
Short answers are fine: 네 / 아니요 / 어제부터요 (since yesterday).
Understanding the instructions
This is the part worth learning properly.
- 하루 세 번 드세요. — Take it three times a day.
- 식후에 드세요. — Take it after meals.
- 식전에 드세요. — Take it before meals.
- 이건 졸려요. — This one makes you drowsy.
- 운전하시면 안 돼요. — You mustn't drive.
- 커피랑 같이 안 먹는 게 나아요. — Better not to take it with coffee.
식후 (after eating) and 식전 (before eating) appear on almost every package. Learning those two words covers most instructions you will get.
Useful to know
- 처방전 없어요. — I don't have a prescription.
- 외국인이에요. 보험 없어요. — I'm a foreigner. I don't have insurance.
- 얼마예요? — How much is it?
Over-the-counter medicine is inexpensive by most standards — a course of cold medicine often runs a few thousand won.
A full visit
You: 목이 아픈데, 감기약 있어요? Pharmacist: 기침도 하세요? You: 네, 조금요. Pharmacist: 이건 졸려요. 운전하시면 안 돼요. You: 그럼 밤에 먹을게요. Pharmacist: 하루 세 번, 식후에 드세요.
See it happen
Episode 17 of K-PATTO is set in a pharmacy, and it is one of the more useful episodes to hear spoken — pharmacists talk quickly and the instructions come at the end, when you have stopped concentrating.
Read it at K-PATTO.