French Medical Terminology: 175 Essential Words and Phrases

Key takeaways

• French medical vocabulary is more accessible than it looks for English speakers because both languages borrowed from Latin and Greek. Many terms are near-cognates: le diagnostic (diagnosis), le symptôme (symptom), l’opération (operation).
• The phrase avoir mal à (to have pain in) is the most important structure in medical French. J’ai mal à la tête (I have a headache), j’ai mal au ventre (I have a stomach ache), j’ai mal au dos (I have back pain).
• Gendered articles matter: le cœur (heart, masculine), la gorge (throat, feminine), le foie (liver, masculine), la rate (spleen, feminine). Body parts in French always require the definite article where English uses a possessive.
• Hospitals use a 10-point pain scale: Quelle est votre douleur sur 10? (What is your pain out of 10?). Knowing how to respond (ma douleur est à 7 sur 10) is essential for clinical settings.

Going to a doctor, pharmacy, or emergency room in a French-speaking country with limited medical vocabulary puts you in a position where the risk of misunderstanding is high. You cannot mime a symptom duration. You cannot guess what à jeun (fasting) means on a prescription.

Medical vocabulary is a specific register that standard French courses skip, and the gap is only noticeable when it matters most.

This guide covers 175 essential French medical terms organized across six categories: body systems and organs, common symptoms, doctor’s appointment vocabulary, medications and pharmacy terms, emergency vocabulary, and the phrases used to describe pain level and medical history.

Preparing this vocabulary is faster with a teacher who can correct pronunciation and drill the terms through realistic scenario role plays. Find a French language tutor on italki, which has connected over 10 million learners with qualified teachers since 2007, and use the session to practice describing symptoms aloud and responding to a doctor’s standard questions.

Body systems and organs

Body parts (les parties du corps):

French	English
la tête	head
le cou	neck
la gorge	throat
la poitrine	chest
le ventre / l’abdomen	stomach / abdomen
le dos	back
les épaules (f)	shoulders
les bras (m)	arms
les mains (f)	hands
les jambes (f)	legs
les pieds (m)	feet
les genoux (m)	knees
les hanches (f)	hips
les chevilles (f)	ankles
les poignets (m)	wrists

Internal organs (les organes internes):

French	English
le cœur	heart
les poumons (m)	lungs
le foie	liver
les reins (m)	kidneys
l’estomac (m)	stomach
l’intestin (m)	intestine
l’appendice (m)	appendix
la rate	spleen
le pancréas	pancreas
la vésicule biliaire	gallbladder
la thyroïde	thyroid
la vessie	bladder
les ovaires (m)	ovaries
la prostate	prostate

Body systems (les systèmes du corps):

French	English
le système nerveux	nervous system
le système digestif	digestive system
le système respiratoire	respiratory system
le système cardiovasculaire	cardiovascular system
le système immunitaire	immune system
le système musculo-squelettique	musculoskeletal system
le système endocrinien	endocrine system

Common symptoms

French	English
la douleur	pain
la fièvre	fever
la toux	cough
le rhume	cold
la grippe	flu
les nausées (f)	nausea
les vomissements (m)	vomiting
la diarrhée	diarrhea
la constipation	constipation
les vertiges (m)	dizziness
les étourdissements (m)	lightheadedness
la fatigue	fatigue
l’insomnie (f)	insomnia
les maux de tête (m)	headaches
la migraine	migraine
l’essoufflement (m)	shortness of breath
les palpitations (f)	palpitations
l’enflure / le gonflement	swelling
les démangeaisons (f)	itching
l’éruption cutanée (f)	rash
la douleur thoracique	chest pain
la douleur abdominale	abdominal pain
la raideur	stiffness
la faiblesse	weakness
les frissons (m)	chills
la perte d’appétit	loss of appetite
la perte de poids	weight loss
la prise de poids	weight gain
les douleurs musculaires	muscle aches
l’engourdissement (m)	numbness

A private French tutor can run symptom-description drills, including describing when symptoms started, how severe they are, and how they change with movement or time, which is the vocabulary that standard word lists don’t capture. italki has 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages, including qualified French teachers who use practical medical scenario exercises to build vocabulary that functions under real pressure.

At the doctor’s office

Appointment vocabulary (le rendez-vous médical):

French	English
le médecin / le docteur	doctor
le généraliste / le médecin de famille	general practitioner
le spécialiste	specialist
l’infirmière / l’infirmier	nurse
l’ordonnance (f)	prescription
le rendez-vous	appointment
la salle d’attente	waiting room
la consultation	consultation
l’examen (m)	examination
l’analyse de sang (f)	blood test
la radio / la radiographie	X-ray
l’échographie (f)	ultrasound
le scanner	CT scan
l’IRM (f)	MRI
le diagnostic	diagnosis
le traitement	treatment
la chirurgie / l’opération	surgery
les antécédents médicaux	medical history
l’allergie (f)	allergy
le groupe sanguin	blood type
la tension artérielle	blood pressure
la fréquence cardiaque	heart rate
le poids	weight
la taille	height

Questions a doctor will ask:

• Depuis quand avez-vous ces symptômes? (How long have you had these symptoms?)
• Avez-vous de la fièvre? (Do you have a fever?)
• Avez-vous des allergies médicamenteuses? (Do you have any drug allergies?)
• Prenez-vous des médicaments? (Are you taking any medications?)
• Êtes-vous vacciné(e) contre…? (Are you vaccinated against…?)
• Avez-vous déjà été opéré(e)? (Have you had surgery before?)

For how French irregular verbs like être, avoir, and faire appear in medical contexts (j’ai mal, je suis allergique à, je fais de l’hypertension), the guide to French irregular verbs covers full conjugation tables for the 12 most important ones.

Medications and pharmacy

French	English
la pharmacie	pharmacy
le pharmacien / la pharmacienne	pharmacist
le médicament	medication
le comprimé / le cachet	tablet / pill
la gélule	capsule
le sirop	syrup
la pommade / la crème	ointment / cream
les gouttes (f)	drops
le patch / le timbre	patch
l’antibiotique (m)	antibiotic
l’anti-inflammatoire (m)	anti-inflammatory
l’antalgique / l’analgésique (m)	painkiller
l’antihistaminique (m)	antihistamine
le vaccin	vaccine
la dose	dose
la posologie	dosage instructions
à jeun	on an empty stomach / fasting
avant les repas	before meals
après les repas	after meals
deux fois par jour	twice a day
sans ordonnance	over the counter
sur ordonnance	prescription only
les effets secondaires	side effects
la contre-indication	contraindication
la date de péremption	expiry date

For adjectives like grave (serious), chronique (chronic), aigu (acute), and bénin (benign) that describe medical conditions, the guide to French adjectives covers agreement rules and the forms these adjectives take with masculine and feminine nouns.

Emergency vocabulary

French	English
l’urgence (f)	emergency
le SAMU (15)	French emergency medical service
les pompiers (18)	fire and first responders
le numéro d’urgence européen (112)	European emergency number
l’ambulance (f)	ambulance
les urgences (f)	emergency room
la réanimation	resuscitation / ICU
le défibrillateur	defibrillator
l’inconscience (f)	unconsciousness
la fracture	fracture
la blessure	injury
la plaie	wound
l’hémorragie (f)	hemorrhage
l’infarctus du myocarde	heart attack
l’AVC (accident vasculaire cérébral)	stroke
l’intoxication alimentaire	food poisoning
l’anaphylaxie / l’allergie grave	anaphylaxis / severe allergic reaction
la crise d’asthme	asthma attack
l’empoisonnement (m)	poisoning
la brûlure	burn

Emergency phrases:

• Appelez le SAMU! (Call emergency services!)
• J’ai besoin d’aide! (I need help!)
• C’est une urgence. (It’s an emergency.)
• Je ne peux pas respirer. (I can’t breathe.)
• Je perds connaissance. (I’m losing consciousness.)
• Il / elle est inconscient(e). (He / she is unconscious.)

Essential phrases for the consultation

Describing symptoms:

• J’ai mal à… (I have pain in… / My … hurts)
• J’ai mal à la tête / au dos / au ventre. (I have a headache / back pain / stomach ache.)
• J’ai de la fièvre depuis deux jours. (I’ve had a fever for two days.)
• Je tousse depuis une semaine. (I’ve been coughing for a week.)
• Je me sens fatigué(e) en permanence. (I feel constantly tired.)
• J’ai des nausées le matin. (I feel nauseous in the morning.)
• Je n’ai pas d’appétit. (I have no appetite.)

Describing pain quality:

• Ma douleur est à 7 sur 10. (My pain is a 7 out of 10.)
• C’est une douleur lancinante. (It’s a throbbing pain.)
• C’est une douleur vive / aiguë. (It’s a sharp pain.)
• C’est une douleur sourde. (It’s a dull ache.)
• La douleur empire quand je bouge. (The pain gets worse when I move.)
• La douleur irradie vers… (The pain radiates toward…)

Asking for clarification:

• Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît? (Can you please repeat that?)
• Je ne comprends pas. Pouvez-vous expliquer? (I don’t understand. Can you explain?)
• Pouvez-vous écrire cela pour moi? (Can you write that down for me?)
• Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire? (What does that mean?)
• Dois-je revenir vous voir? (Do I need to come back?)
• Quand dois-je prendre ce médicament? (When should I take this medication?)

Using this vocabulary under pressure

Medical vocabulary is not useful unless it’s accessible in the moment. Knowing these words on a list is the first step; producing them correctly when a doctor is asking questions quickly is a different skill. Book a trial lesson today and spend the session running through a complete medical appointment role play: describing symptoms, answering the doctor’s standard questions, and asking for clarification on a prescription.

With 30,000+ expert tutors trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, italki has French teachers who use scenario-based practice to build medical vocabulary that functions under real pressure.

FAQ

Is medical French very different from standard French?

Medical French uses the same grammar as standard French but with a higher proportion of Latin and Greek-origin vocabulary. The grammar structures (avoir mal à, se faire mal, être allergique à) are entirely standard French. Most of the vocabulary in this guide is shared across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and French-speaking Canada, with minor regional differences in informal terms.

What do I call a doctor in French?

Le médecin is the standard noun for a doctor. Le docteur or la docteure is the title used when addressing them directly: Bonjour, docteur Martin. A general practitioner is le médecin généraliste or le médecin de famille. Specialists are referred to by their specialty: le cardiologue (cardiologist), le dermatologue (dermatologist), l’orthopédiste (orthopedist).

What is the difference between les urgences and l’urgence?

L’urgence (singular) means “an emergency” or “urgency” as a concept. Les urgences (plural) refers to the emergency room at a hospital. Je vais aux urgences (I’m going to the ER). C’est une urgence (It’s an emergency). The French emergency system also uses le SAMU (15) for medical emergencies and les pompiers (18) for fire and first response.

What is the French equivalent of saying “it hurts here”?

Point to the area and say j’ai mal ici (I have pain here) or ça fait mal ici (it hurts here). For a more specific description, use j’ai mal à… followed by the body part with the correct article: j’ai mal à la jambe (my leg hurts), j’ai mal au bras (my arm hurts), j’ai mal aux pieds (my feet hurt).