Painful urination describes any pain, discomfort, or burning sensation when passing urine.

Pain may be felt right where the urine passes out of the body. Or, it may be felt inside the body, behind the pubic bone, or in the bladder or prostate. Pain on urination is a fairly common problem. People who have pain with urination also may have the urge to urinate more often.

Painful urination is most often caused by an infection or inflammation somewhere in the urinary tract. For example it may be a:
- Bladder infection in an adult
- Bladder infection in a child
- Swelling and irritation of the tube that carries urine out of the body (urethra)  
- Interstitial cystitis
- Prostate infection (prostatitis)
- Radiation cystitis - damage to the bladder lining from radiation therapy to the pelvis area
- Sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea or chlamydia
 
Painful urination and women and girls may be due to:
- Changes in the vaginal tissue during menopause (atrophic vaginitis)
- Herpes infection in the genital area
- Irritation of the vaginal tissue caused by bubble bath, perfumes, or lotions
- Vulvovaginitis, such as yeast or other infections of the vulva and vagina