Meaning of 内科
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- internal medicine; general medicine
How to use 内科
内科 is the name of the internal medicine department in Chinese hospitals, and you often hear it when registering to see a doctor. It pairs with 外科 (wàikē, surgery). Example: 我发烧了，要看内科。(Wǒ fāshāo le, yào kàn nèikē.) I have a fever, so I need to see internal medicine.
内 (nèi) means inside, and 科 (kē) means a branch or department, as in 科学 (kēxué). So 内科 is the hospital department that treats what is inside your body without surgery.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 内 with 入 inside instead of 人, or mix it up with 肉 (ròu, meat), which has two 人 inside. Also keep the tones straight: nèi is fourth tone and kē is first tone.
内科 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
内 nèi · inside · 4 strokes
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科 kē · branch of study · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 内科.
| 科学 | kēxué | science; scientific knowledge |
| 科学家 | kēxuéjiā | scientist |
| 内心 | nèixīn | heart; innermost being; (math.) incenter |
| 内容 | nèiróng | content; substance; details |
| 科技 | kējì | science and technology |
| 国内 | guó nèi | domestic; internal (to a country) |
| 内部 | nèibù | interior; inside (part, section) |
| 以内 | yǐnèi | within; less than |
| 本科 | běnkē | undergraduate course; undergraduate (attributive) |
| 之内 | zhīnèi | inside; within |
| 在内 | zàinèi | (included) in it; among them |
| 内在 | nèizài | inner; internal |
Questions about 内科
What does 内科 mean?
内科 (nèikē) means "internal medicine; general medicine" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 内科?
内科 is made of 2 characters: 内 (4 strokes), 科 (9 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 内科 an HSK word?
Yes. 内科 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 内科 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 内科 is written 內科.
What is the difference between 内科 and 外科?
内科 (nèikē) treats illness with medicine and examination, like colds, stomach problems, or high blood pressure. 外科 (wàikē) is surgery and handles injuries and operations.
How do you say an internal medicine doctor in Chinese?
You can say 内科医生 (nèikē yīshēng). In a hospital you might also hear 内科大夫 (nèikē dàifu), which sounds a bit more spoken.