How do you say "doctor" in Japanese?

医者

isha

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "doctor" is 医者 (isha).

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Pronunciation

医者 is written using kanji. Romanised as isha, it sounds roughly like "ee-shah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Isha (医者) uses 医 (medicine) and 者 (person/worker). Japanese job titles use various endings like shi (士) for licensed professionals or sha (者) for workers.

Example sentence

病院の医者はいつも忙しそうです。

Byouin no isha wa itsumo isogashisou desu.

The doctor at the hospital always looks busy.

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How to remember 医者

I means medicine and sha means person. An isha is a medicine person or medical expert.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 医者

How do you pronounce 医者?

医者 is romanised as isha. Say it roughly like "ee-shah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 医者 formal or casual?

医者 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 医者 written in Japanese?

医者 is written using kanji. Isha (医者) uses 医 (medicine) and 者 (person/worker).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Doctor" in other languages

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