Emergencies

❃ Emergencies

助けてください！ [ tasukete kudasai ]: Help me, please!
助けて！ [ Tasukete! ]: Help!
救急車を呼んでください！ [ kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai ]: Call an ambulance, please!
119番に電話してください！ [ Hyakujuukyuuban ni denwa shite kudasai! ]: Please call 119!
緊急です。 [ Kinkyuu desu. ]: It's an emergency.
人が倒れました。 [ Hito ga taoremashita. ]: Someone collapsed.
意識がありません。 [ Ishiki ga arimasen. ]: He/She is unconscious.
息をしていません。 [ Iki o shite imasen. ]: He/She is not breathing.
出血がひどいです。 [ Shukketsu ga hidoi desu. ]: There is heavy bleeding.
AED（自動体外式除細動器）はありますか。 [ Eeiidii (jidou taigaishiki josaidouki) wa arimasu ka. ]: Is there an AED (defibrillator)?
胸を押さえて苦しんでいます。 [ Mune o osaete kurushinde imasu. ]: He/She is holding their chest in pain.
怪我をしています。 [ Kega o shite imasu. ]: I am / Someone is injured.
英語が分かる人を呼んでください！ [ Eigo ga wakaru hito o yonde kudasai! ]: Please call someone who understands English!
大丈夫ですか、聞こえますか。 [ Daijoubu desu ka, kikoemasu ka. ]: Are you okay? Can you hear me?
少し我慢してください、もうすぐ救急車が来ます。 [ Sukoshi gaman shite kudasai, mou sugu kyuukyuusha ga kimasu. ]: Hang in there, the ambulance is coming soon.
救急外来はどこですか。 [ Kyuukyuu gairai wa doko desu ka. ]: Where is the ER (Emergency Room)?

Cultural notes

In Japan, handling a severe medical emergency requires knowing the specific national numbers, which differ significantly from those in North America or Europe. If you or someone else is severely injured, unresponsive, or facing a life-threatening situation, you must call 119 for an ambulance ("Kyuukyuusha" - 救急車) or the fire department. Unlike in many Western countries where an ambulance ride can result in a devastating and exorbitant hospital bill, using an ambulance in Japan is considered a vital public service and is completely free of charge (though you will, of course, pay for the subsequent medical treatment at the hospital). If you cannot speak Japanese on the phone, simply shout "Tasukete!" (助けて！ - Help!) to passersby and point to the victim. Japanese people might sometimes hesitate to intervene immediately due to a cultural fear of doing the wrong thing or causing "Meiwaku" (inconvenience), but a direct, loud, and clear plea for help will instantly mobilize them. You can tell someone "Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai!" (救急車を呼んでください - Please call an ambulance!). Another vital aspect of Japanese public safety is the widespread availability of Automated External Defibrillators, universally known in Japan as "AED" (エーイーディー) or "Jidou taigaishiki josaidouki" (自動体外式除細動器). You will easily spot them at train stations, convenience stores, and public buildings. If someone collapses, pointing and asking "AED wa arimasu ka?" (AEDはありますか - Is there an AED?) is absolutely crucial. Emergency operators often have translation services available, so if you are forced to make the call yourself, state "Kinkyuu desu" (緊急です - It's an emergency) and ask for English. Knowing these numbers and phrases can quite literally mean the difference between life and death.

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