How to Say “I broke my leg” in Chinese
Emergencies and health · HSK 4
"I broke my leg" in Chinese is 我的腿骨折了 (Wǒ de tuǐ gǔzhé le). 骨折 (gǔzhé) is the medical term for 'fracture'; 骨 is bone, 折 is to break/snap. In everyday speech, people just say 腿断了 (tuǐ duàn le, 'my leg snapped'), which is more dramatic and casual.
Primary translation
我的腿骨折了
Wǒ de tuǐ gǔzhé le
Variants by register
Formal
我的腿骨折了，需要马上看医生。
Wǒ de tuǐ gǔzhé le, xūyào mǎshàng kàn yīshēng.
Casual
我腿断了！
Wǒ tuǐ duàn le!
When to use it
骨折 (gǔzhé) is the medical term for 'fracture'; 骨 is bone, 折 is to break/snap. In everyday speech, people just say 腿断了 (tuǐ duàn le, 'my leg snapped'), which is more dramatic and casual. At a hospital, always use 骨折; it tells the 急诊 (jízhěn, ER) doctor exactly what's wrong. Note: 腿 (tuǐ) means the whole leg, while 脚 (jiǎo) is the foot; be precise about where the pain is. If you need crutches, they're called 拐杖 (guǎizhàng). The 了 particle here marks a completed change of state: it didn't used to be broken, now it is.
Example sentences
我摔倒了，腿骨折了，请叫救护车。
Wǒ shuāidǎo le, tuǐ gǔzhé le, qǐng jiào jiùhùchē.
I fell down and broke my leg; please call an ambulance.
医生说我右腿骨折了，要打石膏。
Yīshēng shuō wǒ yòu tuǐ gǔzhé le, yào dǎ shígāo.
The doctor said my right leg is fractured and needs a cast.
骨折多久能好？我下周要回国。
Gǔzhé duōjiǔ néng hǎo? Wǒ xià zhōu yào huíguó.
How long until the fracture heals? I have to fly home next week.