薬

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 薬. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 薬, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 薬 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 薬 you have here. The definition of the word 薬 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of薬, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: 藥
薬 U+85AC, 薬
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-85AC
← 薫
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 薭 →

Translingual

Traditional 藥
Shinjitai 薬
Simplified 药

Han character

薬 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+13, 16 strokes, cangjie input 廿戈人木 (TIOD), composition ⿱艹楽)

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 1062, character 44
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 32188
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): not present, would follow volume 5, page 3303, character 5
  • Unihan data for U+85AC

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 薬 – see 藥 (“medicine; drug; pharmaceutical; substance used for a particular purpose; etc.”).
(This character is a variant form of 藥).

Japanese

Shinjitai

薬

Kyūjitai

藥

Kanji

薬

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 藥)

  1. medicine, drug
  2. chemical

Readings

Compounds

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
薬
くす
Grade: 3
kun’yomi
Alternative spelling
藥 (kyūjitai)

From Old Japanese. Cognate with the kusu root of adjective 奇し (kusushi, “mystical”), from the way that drugs and medicines would have mystical effects.

Pronunciation

Affix

薬(くす) • (kusu) 

  1. a medicine or drug
Usage notes

Only used in compounds.

Derived terms
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
薬
くすり
Grade: 3
kun’yomi
Alternative spelling
藥 (kyūjitai)

From Proto-Japonic *kusori. Derivation from kusu above. Appears to be the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or noun form”) of unattested verb kusuru “to have a mystical effect”.

Pronunciation

Noun

薬(くすり) • (kusuri) 

  1. a substance with mystical properties, especially one that has an effect on the body, health, or lifespan
  2. a medicine or drug, a pharmaceutical
  3. a chemical, generally toxic and used for its effect on living organisms, such as insecticide or herbicide
  4. a substance that has a beneficial effect in improving or maintaining one's health
  5. (figurative) something that has a beneficial effect in correcting one's mistakes
  6. Short for 釉薬 (uwagusuri): a glaze or enamel applied to ceramics
  7. gunpowder (from the “mystical substance” sense, and the second character in the word 火薬 (kayaku, “gunpowder”))
  8. (figurative) a small bribe
Usage notes

The medicine sense is probably the most common in modern Japanese.

Derived terms
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
薬
やく
Grade: 3
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
藥 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 藥 (MC yak). Compare modern Cantonese 藥／药 (joek6).

Pronunciation

Noun

薬(やく) • (yaku) 

  1. (slang) a medicine or drug, especially a narcotic or other recreational drug
Usage notes

The slang meaning is generally limited to when the term yaku is used as a standalone noun. In compounds, yaku refers more generally to pharmaceuticals, or sometimes chemicals.

Derived terms
Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia