薬 (yào) - Medicine, drug, remedy & pharmaceutical substance used for treating illness or disease.

薬Tone 4

yào ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

嬿一

薬 · yào

Medicine, drug, remedy;

pharmaceutical substance used for treating illness or disease.

Medicine, drug, remedypharmaceutical substance used for treating illness or disease.

Usage highlights

MedicinePharmacyPharmacistPharmaceuticalsHerbal medicineDrugstore

Synonyms

  • 医薬— medical drugs, pharmaceuticals
  • 薬品— medicinal products, drugs
  • 薬剤— medicinal preparation, drug

Antonyms

  • 毒— poison, toxin
  • 病— illness, disease

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I need to take medicine for my cold (風邪の薬).
  • This is a traditional herbal medicine (漢方薬).
  • The pharmacy sells various medications (薬局).
  • He works in pharmaceutical research (薬学研究).

Collocations

  • Medicine(薬)
  • Pharmacy(薬局)
  • Pharmacist(薬剤師)
  • Pharmaceuticals(医薬品)
  • Herbal medicine(漢方薬)
  • Drugstore(薬屋)

Idioms

  • There is no medicine for regret(後悔先に立たず)
  • Good medicine tastes bitter(良薬は口に苦し)
  • To apply the wrong medicine(薬違い)
  • Temporary relief medicine(その場しのぎの薬)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Japanese culture, 薬 has strong associations with both traditional Kampo (Chinese-style) medicine and modern pharmaceuticals.
  • The character is commonly seen in pharmacy signs and medical contexts throughout Japan.
  • Traditional herbal medicines remain popular alongside modern pharmaceuticals in Japanese healthcare.

FAQ