n.
hospital
医院
hospital
A hospital or clinic compound where patients see doctors and receive medical care.
Common Usage & Traps
- 去医院 — go to the hospital
- 住院 — be hospitalized (the short everyday form)
- 住医院 — stay in the hospital as a patient (spoken, slightly fuller)
- 一家医院 — one hospital (measure word 家)
- 在医院 — be at the hospital (location only)
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一个医院一家医院个 is the lazy default for random objects. Hospitals are institutions, and institutions take 家 in everyday speech.
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我要看医院我要去医院 / 我要看医生看 points at a person or a show, not a building. You 看医生 (see a doctor) but you 去 a place.
What is the difference between 在医院 and 住医院?
在医院 just means you are at the hospital; 住医院 means you are a patient sleeping there.
English squashes both ideas into 'in the hospital,' but Chinese splits them by your role. 在医院 marks location only: you could be visiting, working, or waiting in line. 住医院 means you are checked in as a patient and a bed has your name on it. Spoken Chinese normally shortens that to 住院, so 我妈住院了 is what people actually say. If a coworker tells you 我在医院, ask which one they mean before you send flowers.
“休息两星期，
七天住医院
医生人很好，
房间大漂亮。” (I rested for two weeks, spent seven days in the hospital. The doctors were very nice, and the room was big and pretty.)
“休息两星期，
七天住医院
医生人很好，
房间大漂亮。” (I rested for two weeks, spent seven days in the hospital. The doctors were very nice, and the room was big and pretty.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Admitted as a patient | 我哥住院了 / 我哥住医院了 | 我哥在医院了 |
| Just dropping by | 我在医院看朋友 | 我住医院看朋友 |
| Working there | 她在一家医院上班 | 她住医院上班 |
Why do Chinese speakers say 一家医院 instead of 一个医院?
Hospitals use the same measure word as shops and families: 家.
家 literally means home or family, and Chinese reuses it for institutions that run under one roof. Banks, companies, restaurants, hotels and hospitals all take 家. The generic 个 is for loose objects, so 一个医院 sounds like a foreigner counting cardboard boxes. In news writing you will also bump into 一所医院, which is just the formal twin of 一家医院.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| One hospital | 一家医院 | 一个医院 |
| One bank / one company | 一家银行 / 一家公司 | 一个银行 |
| Formal writing | 一所医院 | 一个医院 |
Why can you 看医生 but not 看医院?
看 goes with people and things you watch; 医院 is a building, so you 去 there.
看 means to look at or to visit, and its target is normally a person or a screen: 看医生, 看朋友, 看电视. A hospital is a destination you travel to, so the verb has to be 去: 去医院. Natives often chain the two ideas together, saying 去医院看病 or 去医院看医生. Say 看医院 only if you genuinely mean standing on the sidewalk staring at the building.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Seeing a doctor | 我去看医生 | 我去看医院 |
| Heading to the building | 我要去医院 | 我要看医院 |
| The whole errand | 去医院看病 | 看医院看病 |
Appears in Stories 4 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Discover how a simple letter from a cookie seller led to an unexpected friendship with a famous scholar. This heartwarming story explores kindness and connection across social divides.
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有一次他得了心脏病，住进 医院 。
Ever noticed how similar Chinese words can be? This rhyme plays with place names and homophones, from schools to hotels, even throwing in Samsung's origin. A lighthearted way to boost your word power.
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学院有院子，影院没院子， 医院 是院子？
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
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休息两星期，七天住 医院 医生人很好，房间大漂亮。
Enjoy this simple story about a patient and a mysterious apple. It shows how a small act of kindness can make someone feel at home, and you'll learn key words for feelings and daily life.
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马家友生病了，在 医院 的三号房间住。
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马家友觉得是 医院 给的。
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