けがをする

The phrase けがをする (kega o suru) is a fundamental Japanese expression used to describe the act of sustaining a physical injury. In its most basic form, it translates to "to get injured" or "to hurt oneself." It is composed of the noun kega (injury) and the light verb suru (to do), which is a common pattern in Japanese where nouns are transformed into verbal actions. This expression is versatile, covering everything from minor scrapes and bruises to more serious medical conditions like broken bones or deep cuts. Unlike the English verb 'to hurt,' which can be both transitive ('I hurt my leg') and intransitive ('My leg hurts'), けがをする specifically focuses on the event of the injury occurring.

Core Meaning

The sustainment of physical damage to the body due to an external force, accident, or mishap.

Understanding the nuance of this phrase requires looking at the word kega. Historically, kega (often written in kanji as 怪我) suggests something unexpected or accidental. It is rarely used for intentional harm or self-inflicted wounds in a clinical sense, but rather for the mishaps of daily life. For instance, if you trip on the stairs, you kega o suru. If you are in a car accident, you kega o suru. It is the standard way to report an accident to a teacher, boss, or doctor. In a workplace setting, reporting a kega is a formal necessity, and the phrase is often paired with particles like de to indicate the cause (e.g., jiko de kega o suru - to get injured in an accident).

Grammatical Structure

[Body Part] + に (ni) + けがをする. Example: 足にけがをする (To injure one's leg).

Furthermore, the phrase is highly relevant in sports contexts. Athletes frequently use this to describe setbacks. Because it is a neutral term, it doesn't specify the severity. To specify severity, Japanese speakers add adjectives like hidoi (terrible) or karui (light). For example, hidoi kega o suru means to sustain a serious injury. This flexibility makes it one of the first phrases a student of Japanese should learn to navigate physical well-being and safety conversations. It's also important to note that the kanji version 怪我 is common in literature and formal writing, though hiragana is perfectly acceptable and very frequent in casual digital communication.

Common Contexts

Sports injuries, kitchen accidents, traffic accidents, falls, and general mishaps.

To wrap up the meaning, kega o suru is the bridge between a healthy state and an injured state. It describes the transition. If you are already injured, you might say kega o shite iru (I am injured/I have an injury). If you are warning someone, you say kega o shinai de kudasai (Please don't get hurt). It is an essential component of the Japanese safety vocabulary, often seen on warning signs in construction zones or playgrounds.

Using けがをする correctly involves understanding its conjugation as a suru-verb and its relationship with particles. As a CEFR A2 learner, you should focus on the past tense and the progressive form. The past tense kega o shimashita (formal) or kega o shita (informal) is the most frequent usage, as we usually talk about injuries after they have happened. The particle ni is crucial here; it marks the specific body part that received the injury. For example, te ni kega o suru (to injure one's hand).

Standard Pattern

[Person] + は + [Body Part] + に + けがをしました。 (Person injured their body part.)

Another important aspect is the cause of the injury. To express 'how' or 'where' the injury occurred, use the particle de. For example, jiko de (by accident), sakka- de (during soccer), or shigoto de (at work). This allows you to build complex sentences that provide context. You can also use the ~te form to link the injury to a subsequent action, such as going to the hospital: Kega o shite, byōin ni ikimashita (I got injured and went to the hospital).

Causal Pattern

[Cause] + で + けがをする. Example: 事故でけがをしました (Injured in an accident).

When you want to describe a state of being injured (e.g., "I am currently injured"), use the ~te iru form: Kega o shite imasu. This is essential for explaining why you cannot do something, such as participating in a gym class or lifting heavy boxes. Additionally, if you want to warn someone, the negative imperative kega o shinai de kudasai or the cautionary kega o shinai yō ni (so that you don't get injured) are very common in Japanese parenting and coaching.

State of Being

けがをしています (Kega o shite imasu) - I am (currently) injured.

Finally, consider the degree of the injury. You can modify the noun kega with adjectives. Ooki-na kega (a big injury), hidoi kega (a terrible injury), or chiisa-na kega (a small injury). These adjectives precede kega directly. For example: Kinō, hidoi kega o shimashita. This structure allows for much more descriptive and accurate communication in medical or emergency situations.

You will encounter けがをする in a wide variety of real-life Japanese scenarios. One of the most common places is in news reports. News anchors often use the formal version kega o shimashita or fushō shimashita (a more formal synonym) when reporting on traffic accidents, natural disasters, or public incidents. In these contexts, the phrase is used to quantify the human toll of an event, such as "5 people were injured." If you are listening to Japanese radio or watching TV news, this is a keyword to listen for during the morning traffic or incident reports.

Media Usage

Used in news headlines: 「交差点で事故、３人がけが」 (Accident at intersection, 3 people injured).

Another frequent setting is the Japanese school system. Teachers and school nurses (yogo-kyōyu) use this phrase constantly. From playground scrapes to sports day mishaps, kega is the standard term. If a student is absent, a parent might call the school and say, Musuko ga ashi ni kega o shita node, yasumimasu (My son injured his leg, so he will be absent). In this environment, the word carries a sense of care and concern. You will also see it on posters in gyms and hallways advising students on safety: Kega o fusegō! (Let's prevent injuries!).

Educational Context

Commonly used by school staff and parents to discuss student health and safety.

In the workplace, particularly in construction, manufacturing, or any physical labor sector, kega o suru is a critical term for safety briefings. Japan has a strong culture of anzen-daiichi (Safety First), and avoiding kega is the primary goal of morning meetings (chōrei). You will see signs that say Kega-zero (Zero injuries). If a worker gets hurt, they must fill out a kega report. In these professional settings, the phrase is treated with significant gravity, as it affects both the individual and the company's safety record.

Finally, you will hear it in anime and manga, especially in shonen (action) genres. Characters often shout about their injuries or their resolve to fight despite being injured. While the language might be more dramatic, the core phrase kega o suru remains the same. It's used to show a character's vulnerability or their toughness. Whether it's a realistic drama or a fantasy battle, this phrase is the go-to for describing physical damage to a character.

One of the most frequent mistakes English speakers make with けがをする is confusing it with the adjective itai (painful). In English, we often say "I hurt my leg," which can mean both that an injury occurred and that the leg is currently in pain. In Japanese, these are distinct. Kega o suru is the action of getting injured, while itai is the sensation of pain. You shouldn't say kega ga itai to mean "my injury hurts" (though it's grammatically okay, it's redundant); instead, you just say ashi ga itai (my leg hurts).

Mistake 1: Confusing Injury with Pain

Incorrect: けがが痛いです。 (My injury is painful - unnatural). Correct: 足が痛いです。 (My leg hurts.)

Another common error involves the choice of particles. Many learners instinctively use the object particle o with the body part, like ashi o kega o suru. This is incorrect because kega o suru is already a verb-phrase where kega is the object. The body part should be marked with ni to show the location of the injury. Think of it as "doing an injury TO the leg." Using o twice in a sentence like that is a major grammatical red flag in Japanese.

Mistake 2: Particle Errors

Incorrect: 足をけがをする。 Correct: 足にけがをする。

Learners also sometimes confuse kega o suru with kizutsuku. While both involve being "hurt," kizutsuku is frequently used for emotional hurt or damage to objects/reputation. If you say kokoro ni kega o shita, it sounds like you literally have a physical wound on your heart muscle. To say your feelings were hurt, you must use kokoro ga kizutsuita. Using kega for emotional pain is a literal translation error that sounds very strange to native speakers.

Lastly, be careful with the verb itameru. Ashi o itameru also means "to injure one's leg," but it's more specific to strains or overexertion, whereas kega o suru is broader and often implies an external accident. Using kega o suru for a minor muscle pull might be slightly overdramatic, but it's generally safe. However, using itameru for a deep cut from a knife is definitely wrong; kega or kiru (to cut) is needed there.

While けがをする is the most common way to say "to get injured," Japanese has several other terms that vary by formality, cause, and severity. Understanding these alternatives will help you sound more natural and precise. The most formal equivalent is fushō suru (負傷する). You will see this in newspaper headlines or hear it in formal announcements. It sounds more clinical and objective than the everyday kega o suru.

負傷する (Fushō suru)

Formal/Medical: Often used in news reports. 「選手が負傷退場した」 (The player left the field due to injury).

Another common alternative is itameru (痛める). As mentioned in the common mistakes section, this specifically means to hurt or damage a part of the body, often through strain. It is frequently used for joints and muscles. For example, koshi o itameru is the standard way to say "I threw out my back" or "I strained my lower back." Unlike kega o suru, which uses the particle ni for the body part, itameru uses the particle o because it is a transitive verb where you are the agent affecting your body part.

痛める (Itameru)

Focus on strain/damage: 「重い荷物を持って腰を痛めた」 (I hurt my back carrying heavy luggage).

For specific types of injuries, Japanese has dedicated verbs. If you have a cut, you use kiru (切る - to cut) or kizu o tsuku (傷をつく - to get a wound). If you have a bruise, you might say aza ga dekiru (a bruise formed). If you have a broken bone, you use kossetsu suru (骨折する). While kega o suru can cover all of these as a general term, using the specific word shows a higher level of Japanese proficiency. For instance, in a medical emergency, saying kossetsu shimashita is much more helpful than just saying kega o shimashita.

Finally, there is the term kizu (傷), which means "wound" or "scar." While kega refers to the overall state of being injured, kizu refers to the physical mark itself. You can say kizu o ou (傷を負う) which is a very literary and dramatic way to say "to sustain a wound," often used in historical novels or samurai movies. For everyday conversation, stick with kega o suru for the event and describe the result as a kizu if there's a visible mark.