# 薬

| 薬 | U+85AC, &#34220; 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

(Third grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 藥)
* medicine, drug
* 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

* 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: [kɯ̟sɨ]

#### Affix

薬(くす) • (kusu)
* a medicine or drug

##### Usage notes

Only used in compounds.

##### 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: [kɯ̟̊sɨɾʲi]
* (Kyoto) くす​り [kùsúꜜrì] (Teiki)

#### Noun

薬(くすり) • (kusuri)
* a substance with mystical properties, especially one that has an effect on the body, health, or lifespan
* a medicine or drug, a pharmaceutical
* a chemical, generally toxic and used for its effect on living organisms, such as insecticide or herbicide
* a substance that has a beneficial effect in improving or maintaining one's health
* (figurative) something that has a beneficial effect in correcting one's mistakes
* Short for 釉薬 (uwagusuri): a glaze or enamel applied to ceramics
* gunpowder (from the “mystical substance” sense, and the second character in the word 火薬 (kayaku, “gunpowder”))
* (figurative) a small bribe

##### Usage notes

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

##### 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: [ja̠kɯ̟]
* (Kyoto) や​く [yáꜜkù] (Kōki)

#### Noun

薬(やく) • (yaku)
* (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

* 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)

### References

* ↑ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 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), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* 1 2 “くすり 【薬】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
* 1 2 “やく 【薬】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here