Hi everyone!
Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we’re going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That’s right – kanji seen and used everyday!

This Everyday Kanji theme is Clinic signs! There are good to know in case you get sick when you are in Japan! In almost every clinic sign, you will see the kanji 科 (ka) which means “department”.  Words on clinic signs are usually “one or more kanji + 科” and the kanji before 科 indicates which medical field the clinic specializes in.

歯科 (shika) ：歯 means “teeth.” This literally means “teeth department,” so this place is a dental clinic.

歯科 (shika) = dentistry
● 歯 (shi) = tooth
● 科 (ka) = department

眼科 (ganka): 眼 means “eye”, which means this place is an “eye clinic.” Do you know the kanji 目, which also means “eye”? Do you know the difference between 眼 and 目?

目 is generally used to mean “eyes” rather than 眼, but when you talk about “eyes” as an organ from a medical point of view, you use 眼 rather than 目.

眼科 (ganka) = eye clinic
● 眼 (gan) = eye
● 科 (ka) = department

内科・外科 (naika・geka) 内 means “inside” and 外 means “outside.” So what are 内科 and 外科?

内科 means “department of internal medicine.” When you catch a cold or feel sick, you go to a 内科. 外科means “surgery.” When you have a physical injury, you go to a 外科.

内科 (naika) = department of internal medicine
● 内 (nai) = inside
● 科 (ka) = department

外科 (geka) = surgery
● 外 (ge) = outside
● 科 (ka) = department

Other kanji seen in the sign:
胃腸科 (ichōka) = gastrointestinal division
● 胃 (i) = stomach
● 腸 (chō) = intestines
● 科 (ka) = department

肛門科 (kōmonka) = proctology department
● 肛 (kō) = anus
● 門 (mon) = gate
● 科 (ka) = department

心療内科・神経科(shinryō naika・shinkeika): 心 means “heart” or “mind.” 神経 means “nerves.” Can you guess which fields this clinic specializes in?

心療内科 means “department of psychosomatic medicine”, which deals with matters pertaining to both the mind and body. 神経科 means “department of neurology” , which deals with matters pertaining to the nerves and nervous system. You might see these signs more lately compared to before because of the amount of stress in Japanese society.

心療内科 (shinryō naika) = department of psychosomatic medicine
● 心 (shin) = mind
● 療 (ryō) = heal
● 内 (nai) = inside
● 科 (ka) = department

神経科 (shinkeika) = department of neurology
● 神 (shin) = soul
● 経 (kei) = pass through
● 科 (ka) = department

Extra:
赤坂クリニック (Akasaka kurinikku) = Akasaka clinic
Akasaka = place name
● 赤 (aka) = red
● 坂 (saka) = hill

一般歯科 (ippan shika), 矯正歯科 (kyōsei shika), 予防歯科 (yobō shika): Here’s another sign with 歯科! This time, the departments are a little more specific.

一般 means “general,” and 一般歯科 is general dentistry. You can go there when you have a toothache.

矯正歯科 means “orthodontic dentistry.”

予防 means “prevention” and 予防歯科 is preventive dentistry. Here you can learn how to properly brush and take care of your teeth.

Remember that 歯科 (shika) means dentistry. Now let’s look at the words that come before it:

一般 (ippan) = general
● 一 (ichi) = one
● 般 (han) = all

矯正 (kyōsei) = correction
● 矯 (kyō) = rectify
● 正 (sei) = correct

予防 (yobō) = prevention
● 予 (yo) = beforehand
● 防 (bō) = prevent

If you think you can remember them all, try testing yourself with this video on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkKmS3ucdxE
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