How to Say “I am taking a sick day” in Chinese
Work and study · HSK 3
"I am taking a sick day" in Chinese is 我今天请病假 (Wǒ jīntiān qǐng bìngjià). 请假 (qǐng jià) literally means request leave; it's a separable verb, so you slot the type of leave in between: 请病假 (sick leave), 请事假 (personal leave), 请年假 (annual leave). In Chinese companies, calling in sick usually means sending a WeChat voice message or text to your direct manager; many employers also want a 病假条 (bìngjiàtiáo, doctor's note) for more than one day.
Primary translation
我今天请病假
Wǒ jīntiān qǐng bìngjià
Traditional: 我今天請病假
Variants by register
Formal
我今天需要请病假
Wǒ jīntiān xūyào qǐng bìngjià
Casual
我今天身体不舒服，请假了
Wǒ jīntiān shēntǐ bù shūfu, qǐng jià le
When to use it
请假 (qǐng jià) literally means request leave; it's a separable verb, so you slot the type of leave in between: 请病假 (sick leave), 请事假 (personal leave), 请年假 (annual leave). In Chinese companies, calling in sick usually means sending a WeChat voice message or text to your direct manager; many employers also want a 病假条 (bìngjiàtiáo, doctor's note) for more than one day. Just saying 我不舒服 (I don't feel well) without 请假 sounds like a complaint rather than a formal request to be off.
Example sentences
李经理，我今天发烧了，想请病假一天。
Lǐ jīnglǐ, wǒ jīntiān fāshāo le, xiǎng qǐng bìngjià yì tiān.
Manager Li, I have a fever today, I'd like to take one day of sick leave.
她请了三天病假，医生让她好好休息。
Tā qǐng le sān tiān bìngjià, yīshēng ràng tā hǎohāo xiūxi.
She took three days of sick leave, the doctor told her to rest well.
我身体不舒服，今天不能来上班了。
Wǒ shēntǐ bù shūfu, jīntiān bùnéng lái shàngbān le.
I don't feel well, I can't come to work today.