CORRECTED 7 Dec 2010: A hat tip to Schplook for correcting my Korean.

Korea is an advanced country when it comes to medicine, and there are plenty of 병원 (byeong-won, or hospital) and 약국 (yak-guk, or pharmacy) around. Find your way to a pharmacy for a wide selection of over-the-counter fixes, and be prepared to explain what ails you. A lot of things will be available for you to grab and pay, but the medicine is kept – literally – behind the counter. In most cases, the cure is a small box and a few thousand won. The pharmacist may understand you between your English and pantomiming, but here's the Korean just in case. See if you notice a pattern.

머리가 아파요 (meo-ri-ga a-pa-yo): I have a headache
배가 아파요 (bae-ga a-pa-yo): I have a stomachache.
목이 아파요 (mok-ee a-pa-yo): I have a sore throat (or a sore neck)
귀가 아파요 (gwi-ga a-pa-yo): I have an earache.

In each case above, the word 아파요 (a-pa-yo) literally means ‘pain’ or ‘hurt’, while the first word is the Korean word for a given body part. You can also communicate the disease, if you’re inclined. See if you notice the pattern:

생리통예요 (saeng-ri-tong ye-yo): I have menstrual cramps.
소화불량예요 (so-hwa-bul-ryang ye-yo): I have constipation.
설사예요 (seol-sa-ye-yo): I have diarrhea.
식중독예요 (shik-jung-dok-ye-yo): I have food poisoning.
구토예요 (gu-to): I am vomiting.

Since you’re likely to have at least one of these complaints during your time in Korea, here’s a few more ways to say it:

감기에 걸렸어요 (gam-gi-eh geol-lyeoss-eo-yo): I have a cold.
코가막혔어요. (ko-gha mak-hyeoss-eo-yo): I have a stuffy nose.
자꾸 콧물이 나요 (ja-ggu kon-mul-ee na-yo): I have a runny nose.

Sore throat? Look for 쌍화 (ssang-hwa): a dark glass bottle with a gold label and red lettering in the hotbox of any convenience store. Costing 1,000 won, it tastes something like syrupy black licorice badly mated with something woody, but it works.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, and you probably should seek professional medical advice if you have any actual medical questions. I can only tell you what's worked for me, not what will work for everyone - everything in this post comes from personal experience, however.

© Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog,Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.