How do you say "hospital" in Japanese?

病院

byōin

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "hospital" is 病院 (byōin).

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Pronunciation

病院 is written using kanji. Romanised as byōin, it sounds roughly like "byoh-ee-n" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Byōin combines illness (病) and institute/agency (院). The structure is logical: an institution for treating disease. Hospital vocabulary uses these same core kanji.

Example sentence

この建物には大きな病院があります。

Kono tatemono ni wa ookina Byōin ga arimasu.

This building has a large hospital.

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How to remember 病院

Byō (病) has a person radical. In (院) is a building for people. Sick person building.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 病院

How do you pronounce 病院?

病院 is romanised as byōin. Say it roughly like "byoh-ee-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 病院 formal or casual?

病院 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 病院 written in Japanese?

病院 is written using kanji. Byōin combines illness (病) and institute/agency (院).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Hospital" in other languages

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