Important Coronavirus Vocabulary in Japanese

Many of you guys have requested a “cheat sheet” in Japanese for how to talk about COVID-19 in Japan. This includes key vocabulary you need to know to understand news updates.

Below we will include a list of important Japanese Vocabulary related to COVID-19 as well as some example sentences that you might find common in news reports about the virus.

Also check out our COVID-19 vocabulary guide on vaccines, PCR test and cross-border travel.

How to Track Infection Numbers in Japan

Each day the Tokyo Metropolitan government releases official numbers of infection cases at their official coronavirus tracking website –

https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en – English Version

https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ – Japanese version

How to read the daily COVID-19 update:

都内の新型コロナウィルスの感染者は、昨日からさらに160人増えて2158人になりました。
Tonai no shingata korona-uirusu no kansen-sha wa, kinō kara sarani 160-nin fuete 2158-nin ni narimashita.

The number of people infected with the coronavirus in Tokyo increased by 160 from yesterday to 2158.

都内の新型コロナウィルスの感染者 – Number of infected persons with coronavirus inside tokyo – tonai no shingata korona uirus no kansensha

増えて – fuete (増える – fueru) – to increase.

Key Vocabulary for COVID-19 in Japan

List and Infographics

When discussing the coronavirus there are several words that you will see in many related news articles – and these words are also useful when speaking with your coworkers about the virus.

Want to test your skill? Take our quick five-minute quiz and find out if you’ve mastered these vocabularies!

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