药

• Pinyin: yào
• Hanzi breakdown: 药 = 艹 (grass radical) + 约 (simplified phonetic) — medicine from plants; traditional form 藥 uses 樂 as phonetic

Meaning

Medicine or medication. Refers to substances used to treat illness.

This is the general word for medicine in Chinese. Common phrases include 吃药 (chī yào, to take medicine), 中药 (zhōngyào, traditional Chinese medicine), and 西药 (xīyào, Western medicine). The measure word for medicine is typically 种 (zhǒng, type) or 片 (piàn, tablet). Related words include 药店 (yàodiàn, pharmacy) and 药房 (yàofáng, dispensary).

Examples

1. 你吃药了吗？ Have you taken your medicine?
2. 医生说要吃三天的药。 The doctor said to take medicine for three days.
3. 这种药一天吃两次。 Take this medicine twice a day.

Usage Guide

Context: health, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 别忘了吃药。(Don't forget to take your medicine.)
• 这个药很有用。(This medicine is very effective.)

Don't Say

• 我喝了药 (Incorrect verb for most medicine — say 我吃了药; in Chinese, 吃药 is the standard expression for taking medicine, even for liquid forms; 喝药 is only used specifically for liquid medicine)

Origin & History

The simplified character 药 comes from the traditional 藥, which combines 艹 (cǎo, grass/plant radical) on top with 樂 (yuè/lè, music/joy) below. The grass radical indicates that early medicines were plant-based herbs.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal