薬

See also: 藥

薬 U+85AC, 薬 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-85AC ← 薫 [U+85AB] CJK Unified Ideographs 薭 → [U+85AD]

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)

Derived characters

• 𣟿, 𬟥, 𬌖, 𫊚

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

(Third grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 藥)

1. medicine, drug
2. chemical

Readings

• Go-on: やく (yaku, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: やく (yaku, Jōyō)
• Kun: くす (kusu, 薬)、くすり (kusuri, 薬, Jōyō)
• Nanori: み (mi)

Compounds

Compounds

• 薬(やっ)罐(かん) (yakkan)
• 薬(やっ)缶(かん) (yakkan)
• 薬(やっ)局(きょく) (yakkyoku)
• 薬(やく)膳(ぜん) (yakuzen)
• 薬(やく)品(ひん) (yakuhin)
• 薬(やく)用(よう) (yakuyō)
• 薬(やく)理(り) (yakuri)
• 薬(やく)理(り)学(がく) (yakurigaku)
• 医(い)薬(やく)品(ひん) (iyakuhin)
• 医(い)薬(やく)部(ぶ)外(がい)品(ひん) (iyakubugaihin)
• 火(か)薬(やく) (kayaku): gunpowder
• 加(か)薬(やく) (kayaku)
• 偽(ぎ)薬(やく) (giyaku), 擬(ぎ)薬(やく) (giyaku): placebo
• 去(きょ)痰(たん)薬(やく) (kyotan'yaku): expectorant
• 膏(こう)薬(やく) (kōyaku)
• 投(とう)薬(やく) (tōyaku)
• 農(のう)薬(やく) (nōyaku)
• 釉(うわ)薬(ぐすり) (uwagusuri)
• 爆(ばく)薬(やく) (bakuyaku): explosive, explosive compound, blasting powder
• 媚(び)薬(やく) (biyaku): an aphrodisiac
• 解(げ)毒(どく)薬(やく) (gedokuyaku): an antidote

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

• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟sɨ]

Affix

薬(くす) • (kusu) 

1. a medicine or drug

Usage notes

Only used in compounds.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 薬(くす)す (kususu): to treat someone or something using medicines or drugs (archaic)
• 薬(くす)らう (kusurau): to treat someone or something using medicines or drugs (may imply over a longer period of time; archaic)
• 薬(くすり) (kusuri): a medicine or drug (see below)
• 薬(くす)子(こ) (kusuko): an unmarried young woman serving at the imperial court who tastes the ceremonial spiced sake at New Years
• 薬(くす)師(し) (kusushi): a doctor (archaic)
• 薬(くす)師(し)指(ゆび) (kusushiyubi): archaic alternate for 薬(くすり)指(ゆび) (kusuriyubi): the ring finger
• 薬(くす)玉(だま) (kusudama): an ornamental scented ball made of flowers or other aromatics, displayed in early May
• 薬(くす)殿(どの) (kusudono): during the Heian period, the consultation office of the court physician
• 薬(くす)練(ね), 薬(くす)煉(ね), 天(く)鼠(す)矢(ね) (kusune): pine sap boiled in oil to make a strong resin used to reinforce bowstrings and other things
• 薬(くす)練(ね)糸(いと), 薬(くす)煉(ね)糸(いと) (kusuneito): a string with kusune applied to it
• 樟(くすのき) (kusunoki), 楠(くすのき) (kusunoki): the camphor tree

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

• (Tokyo) くすり [kùsúrí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟̊sɨɾʲi]

• (Kyoto) くす​り [kùsúꜜrì] (Teiki)

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

• 薬(くすり)子(こ) (kusuriko): an unmarried young woman serving at the imperial court who tastes the ceremonial spiced sake at New Years
• 薬(くすり)師(し) (kusurishi): a doctor (archaic)

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

• (Tokyo) やく [yáꜜkù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ja̠kɯ̟]

• (Kyoto) や​く [yáꜜkù] (Kōki)

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

• 薬(やく)液(えき) (yakueki): a liquid medicine
• 薬(やく)園(えん) (yakuen): a field or garden for cultivating medicinal plants, especially during the Edo period
• 薬(やく)害(がい) (yakugai): harm caused by a medicine or drug
• 薬(やく)学(がく) (yakugaku): pharmacology, the study of pharmacy
• 薬(やく)学(がく)者(しゃ) (yakugakusha): a pharmacologist
• 薬(やっ)局(きょく) (yakkyoku): a pharmacy, a pharmacist's office
• 薬(やっ)科(か) (yakka)