Mi nidim dokta.
I need a doctor.
Usage
When seeking medical assistance
Grammar Note
"Dokta" is from English "doctor" with the final "r" dropped. Tok Pisin is non-rhotic, so final "r" sounds are typically not pronounced.
Haus sik i stap we?
Where is the hospital?
Usage
When asking for the location of a hospital
Grammar Note
"Haus sik" = "haus" (house) + "sik" (sick), meaning "house for sick people" = hospital. This is a classic example of Tok Pisin compound word formation.
Mi pilim pen long bel bilong mi.
I feel pain in my stomach.
Usage
When reporting stomach pain to a healthcare provider
Grammar Note
"Pilim" (to feel) transitivized from "feel him." "Bel bilong mi" (my belly) uses "bilong mi" (belonging to me) to express possession.
Mi sik.
I am sick.
Usage
When communicating illness
Grammar Note
"Mi sik" (I am sick) is the simplest Tok Pisin sentence structure: subject + predicate, with no copula needed. This reflects the creole's analytic simplicity.
Haus marasin i stap we?
Where is the pharmacy?
Usage
When looking for a pharmacy
Grammar Note
"Haus marasin" = "haus" (house) + "marasin" (medicine). Tok Pisin "kemikal" means an industrial/scientific chemical, never a chemist's shop. Facilities are listed as "Aid post, Haus marasin, haus karim". Clinical Tok Pisin also uses "dispensari".
Dispela samting i save mekim mi i sik nogut.
I am allergic to this thing.
Usage
When informing a healthcare provider about an allergy
Grammar Note
⚠ Tok Pisin has no established word for "allergy". The reliable idiom is the causative "CAUSE + mekim + PERSON + i + sik". Note the predicate marker "i" before the embedded predicate.
Mi nidim marasin.
I need medicine.
Usage
When requesting medicine
Grammar Note
"Marasin" comes from English "medicine" with phonological adaptation. The "-icine" ending became "-asin," fitting Tok Pisin's preference for open syllables.
Kisim mi i go long haus sik.
Take me to the hospital.
Usage
When urgently requesting someone to take you to the hospital
Grammar Note
"Kisim" (from "catch him") is highly polysemous in Tok Pisin, covering "to take/get/catch/bring." This is an important phrase for emergencies.
Mi gat insurens?
Do I have insurance?
Usage
When checking insurance status at a medical facility
Grammar Note
"Insurens" is closer to the English spelling (e.g. "insurens bilong haus" = house insurance). "Gat" is the stative possession verb.
Mi bagarap.
I am injured/broken.
Usage
When urgently communicating an injury or physical damage
Grammar Note
"Bagarap" comes from English slang "bugger up" (to ruin) and means "broken/damaged/injured." It applies to machines, objects, and the human body alike.
Mi gat bel
I am pregnant
Usage
Critical before any medication or X-ray
Sik suga
Diabetes
Usage
Tell medical staff about this condition
Sik bilong klok
Heart disease
Usage
Tell medical staff about this condition
Grammar Note
Tok Pisin "hat" means hot / hard / (a) hat, never "heart". The heart is "klok" (also "kilok", from English "clock") or "lewa" (any internal organ). "Sik bilong klok" means heart disease.
Mi sotwin
I have trouble breathing
Usage
Report breathing difficulty urgently
Het bilong mi i raun
I feel dizzy
Usage
Report dizziness
Blut i kamap
I am bleeding
Usage
Report bleeding
Grammar Note
"Blut i kamap" = blood comes / bleeding starts. The collocation is with "kamap" (e.g. strike someone's nose and "bai blut i kamap"). "I" is the predicate marker required with a third-person subject.
Bun i bruk
A bone is broken
Usage
Report a suspected fracture
Sua
Wound / cut
Usage
Show a cut or open wound
Mi kus
I have a cough
Usage
Tell a doctor or pharmacist you have a cough
Sik mun
Period (menstruation)
Usage
Use at a pharmacy when asking for pads or painkillers
Kolim dokta, plis
Please call a doctor
Usage
Ask bystanders for help when you or a companion collapses
Grammar Note
The same frame as "Kolim ambulens, plis" ("Please call an ambulance"), with only the object swapped for "dokta" (the same form as "Mi nidim dokta." and "Mi nidim dokta"). Sentence-final "plis" softens the request.
Mi pilim pen long hia.
It hurts here
Usage
Show it while pointing at the spot — it works without knowing the body-part word
Grammar Note
"Mi pilim pen long bel bilong mi." with only the locative noun phrase swapped for "hia" ("here"). "Hia" is the same form as in "Emi gat lift hia?", "Yu save daiving hia?" and "Wea i gat bensin klostu tru long hia?", the last of which also shows the "long hia" form.
Mi mas malolo?
Do I need to rest?
Usage
Checking with medical staff after an examination whether you should rest
Grammar Note
"Mi mas + verb?" ("Must I …?") is the frame of "Mi mas buk bifo?" and "Mi mas bakim ka wantaim ful tank?"; only the verb is swapped for "malolo" ("to rest", the same form as in "Mi les pinis. Bai yumi malolo liklik?", "Mi laik malolo na rileks." and "I gat haus bilong malolo long maunten?").
Skin bilong mi i no gat strong.
My body feels sluggish
Usage
Describing weakness in the body when there is no fever
Grammar Note
"X bilong mi" ("my X") is the form of "Mi pilim pen long bel bilong mi." and "Het bilong mi i raun". "Skin" means "skin", which in Tok Pisin also names the body itself. "I no gat" ("has no") is the form of "Mi no gat" and "Stoa i no gat takis i stap we?", and "strong" ("strength") the form of "Kikim strong tru, no ken holim bek." and "Mekim strong moa long dispela hap.".
Mi traut planti taim.
I have vomited several times
Usage
Tell medical staff — how many times you vomited guides the assessment of dehydration
Grammar Note
"Mi + predicate" is the pattern of "Mi kus" and "Mi sik.". "Traut" is from English "throw out": noun "vomit" and verb "to vomit" — e.g. "sapos yu kaikai planti tumas, bai yu traut". "Planti" is the form of "Igat planti jelipis long solwara." and "taim" of "Hamas taim bai i kisim?".
Pekpek wara
Diarrhea
Usage
Tell medical staff or a pharmacist about diarrhea; literally "watery stool"
Pekpek
Poop
Usage
The ordinary word for poop and for "to defecate", usable with children and with medical staff. The toilet is "haus pekpek"
Pispis
Pee
Usage
The ordinary word for pee and urine, usable with children and with medical staff.
Mi gat pekpek wara.
I have diarrhea
Usage
Used to tell a doctor or pharmacist that you have diarrhea
Grammar Note
"Mi gat + noun" is the same pattern as "Mi gat bel" ("I am pregnant").
Mi laik pekpek.
I need to poop
Usage
The plain, everyday way to tell a companion or child that you need to poop
Grammar Note
"Mi laik + verb" means "I want to …". "Laik pekpek" appears as "ol i laik pekpek" and "Sol i laik pekpek". "Pekpek" serves as both noun (stool) and verb (to defecate).
More Tok Pisin phrases
- Basic Words
- Basic Nouns
- Basic Verbs
- Adjectives
- Question Words
- Greetings
- Food & Drinks
- Transportation
- Shopping
- Numbers
- Hotel
- Emergency
- Sightseeing
- Flirting
- Nightlife
- Massage & Spa
- Compliments
- Contacts & SNS
- Beach & Activities
- Places & Areas
- Useful Phrases
- Airport & Customs
- Weather & Climate
- Pharmacy & Health
- Directions
- Money & Exchange
- Internet & WiFi
- Nature & Outdoors
- Religion & Temples
- Café & Drinks
- Schedule & Booking
- Culture & Etiquette
- Traveling with Kids
- Sports & Activities
- Public Transport
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- Visa & Immigration
- Business & Work
- School & Education
- Cooking & Markets
- Music & Entertainment
- Art & Museums
- Festivals & Events
- Photography
- Laundry
- Post Office
- Language Learning
- Dating & Romance
- Dating Apps
- Volunteering
- Accessibility
- Sustainability & Eco
- Fruits
- Colors
- Dietary & Allergies
- Markets & Souvenirs
- Wine & Spirits
- Car Rental & Driving
- Time & Dates
- Hiking & Trekking
- Diving & Water Sports
- Skiing & Winter Sports
- Hot Springs & Baths
- Yoga & Wellness
- Casino & Gambling
- Beauty & Grooming
- Remote Work
- Fashion & Clothing
- Convenience Store
- Martial Arts
- Signs
- Body Parts
- Animals
- Vehicles
- Electronics
- Feelings
- Slang
- Local Dishes
- Local Drinks
- Indulgences