医者（いしゃ、isha）
- doctor

The Japanese word 医者 (いしゃ) means "doctor" or "physician." It refers to a person who is licensed to practice medicine and provide medical care to patients. 医者 are responsible for diagnosing illnesses, prescribing treatments, performing surgeries, and providing general healthcare advice. The term encompasses various specialties within medicine, such as general practitioners, surgeons, pediatricians, and more.

⚫︎彼医者は患者の診察をしています。 Translation: He is examining the patients. ⚫︎彼女は将来、医者になりたいと思っています。 Translation: She wants to become a doctor in the future. ⚫︎風邪をひいたので、医者に見てもらいました。 Translation: I caught a cold, so I went to see a doctor.

You use 医者 when talking about doctors in general, or when referring to a specific doctor. It can be used in both formal and informal contexts, though the level of politeness in the surrounding sentences might change depending on the situation. For instance, you might use more polite language (keigo) when speaking to a doctor directly or about a doctor to someone of higher status. You'll commonly find this word in various medical contexts, everyday conversations discussing health issues, and in news reports.

医者 is primarily written with the kanji 医 (i, meaning "medicine" or "medical") and the kanji 者 (sha, meaning "person" or "one"). The reading is usually written in hiragana いしゃ. There aren't significant variations in the okurigana for this word.

⚫︎医師 (いし) - "physician," often used in more formal contexts. ⚫︎お医者さん (おいしゃさん) - "doctor," a more casual and polite term.

There aren't direct antonyms for 医者 in the sense of a single word. However, you could consider professions that provide medical assistance but aren't doctors: ⚫︎看護師 (かんごし) - "nurse" ⚫︎薬剤師 (やくざいし) - "pharmacist"

熱があるので、明日医者の予約をしました。 ・Translation: I have a fever, so I made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the speaker has a fever and has scheduled a doctor's appointment to receive medical attention.

この病院には、たくさんの専門の医者がいます。 ・Translation: This hospital has many specialist doctors. ・Explanation: The sentence indicates the presence of various medical specialists within a specific hospital setting.

The word 医者 comes from the combination of the kanji 医 which is a radical relating to medicine, and 者 meaning "person". Therefore, 医者 literally means "medicine person".