During your stay in Japan, you may find yourself coming down with a sudden headache, nausea, sore throat, or in a worse case scenario, bad diarrhea. Maybe you ate something bad. Or, maybe you caught something while traveling.
This is a guide for learning how to understand the hiragana, katakana, and kanji on labels for common medicines that can be found in drugstores across Japan.
It includes a list of common symptoms, a breakdown of how to read the directions, and some basic guidelines for figuring out the ingredients.
If you experience any kind of severe symptoms, please go to your nearest clinic or hospital to receive proper medical assistance.
I am simply a teacher that has gotten sick one too many times from my students, and I’ve had to become familiar with various Japanese medications that can easily be bought over the counter at most drugstores.
Healthcare in Japan is very cheap (if you have Japanese health insurance), so it could actually cost you less to visit a clinic and receive medicine directly from a doctor than to purchase a similar kind at your nearby drugstore.
Many brands that are available over the counter are just weaker versions of what you can get from a doctor, but they’ve marked up the price. I’ve visited the clinic and gotten 4 medications for around 2,000 yen ($20) before! That was to treat a bad case of the flu.
I’ve also had to visit the emergency room late at night, and only paid around 5,000 yen ($50) to be seen and treated by really great doctors in under an hour. My point is go visit the doctor first, and only opt for the stuff at the drugstore if what you’re experiencing is really minor and will probably clear up in a day or two.
How to Read Cold Symptoms in Japanese

First, we’ll look at the most common symptoms you may experience, and what they are called in Japanese. Usually these are written in large characters on the front of the medicine’s packaging.
Sometimes the symptoms are written hiragana, but you’ll most likely see them written in kanji if one is available. I’ll include romaji for those who can’t read Japanese, but you’ll never actually see this written on the labels.
Try to match the hiragana or kanji that you see in the chart, but keep in mind that they may vary slightly. I suggest asking one of the shopkeepers if you’re not sure what you found is for the symptom you want to treat. Google translate could also be a big help.
Symptoms | Kanji | Hiragana/Katakana | Romaji |
Allergies | アレルギー | Arerugī | |
Athlete’s foot | 水虫 | Mizumushi | |
Cold | 風邪 | かぜ | Kaze |
Conjunctivitis (Eye Infection) | 結膜炎 | けつまくえん | Ketsumakuen |
Cough | 咳 | せき | Seki |
Congestion (Stuffy Nose) | 鼻づまり | はなづまり | Hanadzumari |
Diarrhea | 下痢 | げり | Geri |
Eczema | 湿疹 | しっしん | Shisshin |
Fever | 熱 | ねつ | Netsu |
Hay Fever | 花粉症 | かふんしょう | Kafunshō |
Headache | 頭痛 | ずつう | Zutsū |
Hives | 蕁麻疹 | じんましん | Jinmashin |
Itchiness | かゆみ | Kayumi | |
Insect Bites | 虫さされ | むしさされ | Mushisasare |
Joint pain | 関節の痛み | かんせつのいたみ | Kansetsu no itami |
Nausea | 吐き気・悪心 | はきけ・あくしん | Hakike/Akushin |
Rash | かぶれ・あせも | Kabure/Asemo | |
Runny Nose | 鼻水 | はなみず | Hanamizu |
Sneezing | くしゃみ | Kushami | |
Sore Throat | のどの痛み | のどのいたみ | Nodoitami |
Stomachache | 腹痛 | ふくつう | Fukutsū |
Phlegm | 痰 | たん | Tan |
You can also find the symptoms listed on the back of the packaging. They are usually somewhere near the top under a section called 効能 (kōnō) or 効果 (kōka), and sometimes includes more than what is printed on the front.
How to Read Medicine Directions in Japanese
Now that you have an idea of what symptoms to look for on the medicine packaging, next we’ll take a look at how to read the dosage amounts and directions for taking them. Obviously not all of the directions will be the same, and it’s impossible to include every possible variation you may come across.
You can usually find the directions printed on the back of the packaging, and most will display the information in a similar fashion. Use this as just a basic guideline to reading what the label says, but ALWAYS consult with a native Japanese speaker if you are uncertain. Overdosing is a dangerous risk that you don’t want to put yourself in.
Most of the medicine I’ve bought in Japan specifically states that it is not to be given to anyone younger than 15 years old! Please be careful.
Directions | 用法・用量 | ようほう・ようりょう | Yōhō/Yōryō |
Age | 年齢 | ねんれい | Nenrei |
15 years old and above | 15才以上 | さいいじょう | Saiijō |
Younger than 15 | 15才未満 | さいみまん | Saimiman |
Do Not Take | 服用しないこと | ふくようしないこと | Fukuyō shinai koto |
Single Dose Amount | 一回量 | いっかいりょう | Ikkairyō |
Doses per day | 1日服回数 | 1にちふくようかいすう | 1 nichi fukuyō kaisū |
1 Pill/Tablet | 1錠 | 1じょう | 1 Jō |
1 Time/3 Times | 1回・3回 | いっかい・さんかい | Ikkai/Sankai |
After eating | 食後 | しょくご | Shokugo |
Within ~ minutes | ~分以内 | ~ぷんいない | ~puninai |
Within ~ hours | ~時間以内 | ~じかんいない | ~jikaninai |
Water/Warm Water | 水・お湯 | みず・おゆ | Mizu/Oyu |
The directions might seem a bit confusing, so I’ll provide a picture of some medicine I bought recently to help alleviate my hay fever. The directions are found on the left side in the white box. The first sentence explains when to take the medicine.

用法・用量 | Usage/Dosage |
次の量を、食後なるべく30分以内に水又はぬるま湯で服用してください | Please take the following amount with water or lukewarm water within 30 minutes of eating. |
The age (年齢) rows and columns say that a single dose amount is 3 pills (錠) that can be taken up to 3 times (回) per day if the person is 15 years or older. For anyone under the age of 15 it says ❌服用しないこと, which means that it absolutely must not be taken.
Where to Find the Active Ingredients Label
Fortunately, the active ingredients in Japanese medicines are usually written in katakana. This means that even if you’re just starting to learn Japanese, you’ll be able to decipher what kind of ingredients are listed without much of a challenge.
Some drugs may have multiple names in English, so I recommend googling each active ingredient to get a good idea of what it’s used for, which drugs it’s commonly found in, what kind of side effects it may cause, and any harmful drug interactions you should be aware of.
It can be dangerous to mix medications, so please confirm with your doctor if the drugstore brands are safe to take along with prescription drugs or not.
We can find the active ingredient information under the 成分 (せいぶん) or 分量 (ぶんりょう) section of the packaging. Notice on the example picture below that it says the maximum dosage per day is 9 pills for this particular medicine.
The recommended amount should not be exceeded even if symptoms persist. This box of cold medicine has 5 active ingredients for targeting fevers, sore throats, runny and stuffy noses, and coughing.

The numbers you see listed in milligrams (mg) to the right is how much of the active ingredients is contained in a full day’s supply of the medicine. For example, if you were to consume the maximum dosage of 9 pills, it would include a total of 450mg of Ibuprofen. If we break it down, each pill has 50mg of Ibuprofen, and a regular dose of 3 pills would be 150mg.

Lastly, let’s take a look at the bottom of the cold medicine box. Here we can see that it contains a total of 36 pills. It would last you 4 days if you took the maximum dosage each day.
Next to that it says what the medicine is intended for. We can tell that it is cold medicine, because it says 風邪 (かぜ), which is what Japanese people call the common cold.
The active ingredients in cold medicines vary, and some may work better for you than others. I suggest comparing and keeping notes on which ones work well for you and which don’t. I take エスタック to fight off sneezing and blowing my nose every 5 seconds when spring starts.
The hay fever version works extremely well for me, but this one intended for colds doesn’t have a noticeable effect on my nose. Your experience may be the complete opposite though, because no two bodies are exactly alike.
Common Painkiller Brands in Japan

Okay, so if you’ve made it this far into the post, you probably have a headache, and you’re wondering where you can buy some Ibuprofen or Tylenol to get rid of it. I actually took Ibuprofen for the first couple years when I moved here without even knowing what it was!
That’s because just like Japanese people shorten the names for McDonald’s to マック, and Starbucks to スタバ, they shortened Ibuprofen to イブ (Ibu). The packaging has EVE written in big bold letters, and I just never made the connection that EVE somehow referred to “Ibu” in Ibuprofen.
Learning this also made me come to the realization that I’ve been consuming significantly smaller doses of painkillers than I used to when I lived in the US. I follow the directions on the EVE packaging and take 2 pills if I have a headache, sore throat, cramps, or any other kind of pain. It’s usually sufficient in knocking it out within 30 minutes or so.
Like many brands, EVE has different variations you can buy, but the one that I have only contains 150mg of Ibuprofen in a single dose. This was surprising, because I had been taking 500mg minimum in the US, because I was under the silly impression that that was how much I needed!
One dose of EVE has been enough to get rid of my worst period cramps (sorry if this is too much info). As I mentioned before though, your experience may be completely different, so please consult with your doctor first. Especially if you’re suffering from severe and/or unusual pain!
Tylenol and Other Popular Brands
If you prefer to take acetaminophen (アセトアミノフェン) instead, you can actually find regular Tylenol. This is a bit easier to recognize in Japan, because the packaging will actually have “Tylenol” written on it in English.
However, the strength of Tylenol that you’ll find in Japan will be much lower than what you can buy in the US. I think the last time that I saw “Extra Strength Tylenol” when I visited the states, it was somewhere around 800mg per pill!
So far the highest that I’ve seen while shopping in Japan is 300mg. You’ll probably have to visit a clinic if you’ll need stronger pain medicines. Acetaminophen is great for reducing fevers, but it can also cause liver damage if taken in high quantities.
Please read the labels carefully, and talk with your doctor if any over-the-counter painkillers you’ve tried aren’t sufficient enough at relieving the pain you’re experiencing.
Bufferin is probably another brand that many people from the west are familiar with. I’ve personally never tried it, but I’ve seen it in every major drugstore that I’ve been to.
If you’re wondering where your nearest one is, a drugstore is called 薬局 (やっきょく). Some examples of major chains are HAC, Matsumoto, and FitCare.
I hope that this information has been helpful, and that it will be used wisely. Remember that I’m not a professional, and that this is just a rudimentary guide to help you through some common minor symptoms.
Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think, or to share any helpful tips and advice you may have for other people visiting or living in Japan. Thanks!
Yes helpful though I tend to always take painkillers when I go to Japan. I was unlucky enough to be really sick in the place one and visited the very small emergency room in Kansai ( VERY little English spoken) but found a good clinic where I had 2 doctors see me one of whom spoke French. Iโd say that even if you speak some Japanese hearing the doctor in your own language makes a big difference. I tried some cough medicine another time and didnโt like the taste of the one I chose. Now I take a small box with common drugs for cold or period pains. What I love in Japan though are eye drops for eye fatigue!
Mchan, I agree with you that it’s very helpful and reassuring when you’re able to speak with a doctor in your native language while in Japan or any other country abroad. I’ve struggled many times trying to explain what was wrong with me in Japanese, and worried if what I wanted to communicate was getting through or not. That just made me feel worse from additional stress in an already stressful situation!
This is stunningly thorough! Thank you for taking the time to compose it. From now on, Iโll be providing Japan-bound friends/family with a link to this article.
Thank you, Jason, for the really positive feedback! Finding medicine was such an intimidating task for me when I first moved here, so I wanted to create a guide that will hopefully help others who are going through the same thing.
What a great guide! I’ve been studying hiragana, hoping to move on to katakana and kanji afterwards not knowing which would be the most helpful when I head over there in a couple years. Good to know kanji is on most over the counter meds! Thanks for posting this! ๐
Thank you, Stubbs! I hope that you’ll have an awesome trip when you visit here, and won’t actually need this information! Hehe ๐
You are so right!! This post is very helpful to travelers in Japan for sure!! But I always bring Alieve to Japan even though I am Japanese๐ It is better for me.
I try to stock up on drugs and bring them with me too lol. The only problem is that I can only go back home to the US once every two years, so I inevitably run out ๐
I love the list you put here. So informative. Where was your blog when I first arrived? I could have used this post years ago. ๐
I love all the details and information you put in your posts. I feel like a broken record saying that over and over. I wish I had better feedback to give, but you seem to be doing great work. Your blog will swell in no time.
Look forward to more.
I wish I knew this information too! I went through so much trial and error my first few years.
I’ve almost reached my goal of 20,000 words in 10 posts, and then I’ll probably cut back and write some shorter ones that are easier. I just wanted to force myself back into the habit of writing, and try to help some people along the way.
I hope I can finish my last post before leaving this weekend ><
20,000 words. Wow. Nice ~
May I ask what area will you go for Golden Week?
I’m flying to Okinawa this weekend! We’ll spend a day or two around Naha, and then rent a car to travel up north for a kayaking tour.
Oh sounds amazing ๐
This is wonderful information! When I am able to visit Japan, hopefully I won’t have any issues but you never know! I’ll just make sure my parents are with me and we can go to the US Military base (if there is one) and I’ll have them get me what I know. LOL! J/K. This article is super helpful! If ever in a bind, I now know what to look for!
My first year I kept asking my mom to send me American medicine! Especially Robitussin Gel Caps lol. That stuff is REALLY strong compared to the drugstore medicine here. I learned that going to the doctor is so cheap though, so now I just go at the first sign of a fever ๐
Ha, funny, David did get sick in japan with a stomach ache, we just looked for a picture of a stomach to figure it all.
That’s what I had to do my first year here as well! Did he feel better afterwards?
LaShawn, Yes, I think we were just eating unusual foods and walking so much everyday in the humidity. He was fine right afterward.