Chinese Pharmacy Phrases: Buying Medicine and Describing Symptoms

Pharmacy staff in China may ask 哪里不舒服 or 什么症状. Prepare short symptom phrases such as 我头疼, 我发烧了, 我肚子疼, 我咳嗽, 我嗓子疼, 我流鼻涕, 我过敏, and 我不舒服.

If you do not know the exact word, body-language pointing plus 这里疼 and 这里不舒服 usually work. The clerk may also ask 有痰吗, 发烧多少度, or 拉肚子吗 to narrow down the medicine choice.

Useful medicine words include 感冒药, 退烧药, 止痛药, 止咳药, 消炎药, 胃药, 过敏药, and 创可贴. You can say 我要买感冒药 or 有什么退烧药.

Many Chinese pharmacies sell traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine side by side. If you prefer Western medicine, say 我要西药. For pills versus liquid, ask 是片剂还是口服液.

After the clerk recommends medicine, ask 怎么吃 and 吃几粒. Common dosage terms include 一天两次, 一次两粒, 饭后吃, 饭前吃, and 把这个喝完.

Pharmacy payment is usually straightforward: 多少钱, 可以扫码吗, and 有袋子吗 are enough. Some pharmacies require passport registration for certain medicines — they may say 需要登记一下.