投薬

• Reading: とうやく
• Romaji: touyaku
• Kanji breakdown: 投 (tou) — administer, give, dispense; 薬 (yaku) — medicine, drug
• Pronunciation: /toː.ja.kɯ/

Meaning

Medication; drug administration; dosing. The act of prescribing or administering medicine to a patient.

A noun and suru-verb (投薬する) referring to the clinical act of administering drugs, including the dosage, timing, and method. Used in medical and pharmaceutical contexts. Common collocations: 投薬量 (dosage), 投薬期間 (treatment period), 不適切な投薬 (inappropriate medication). Distinct from 服薬 (taking medicine, from the patient's perspective).

Examples

1. 医師の指示なく投薬を中断すると、症状が悪化する恐れがある。 Stopping medication without a doctor's instructions can cause symptoms to worsen.
2. 抗生物質の不適切な投薬が薬剤耐性菌の増加を招いている。 The inappropriate administration of antibiotics is contributing to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria.
3. 患者の体重と年齢を考慮した上で、投薬量が決定された。 The dosage was determined after taking the patient's weight and age into account.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, pharmacology, clinical care, hospital, prescriptions

Tone: clinical, technical

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound: 投 (tou) means to give, administer, or throw, and 薬 (yaku) means medicine or drug. The character 投 emphasises the act of dispensing or delivering the medicine to the patient.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adult

Social background: Universal