Translingual

Han character

薬 (radical 140 艸+13, 19 strokes, cangjie input 廿戈人木 (TIOD), composition ⿱艹楽)

References

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

Chinese

Japanese

Kanji

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

Readings

• Goon: やく (yaku)
• Kan’on: やく (yaku)
• Kun: くす (kusu), くすり (kusuri)
• Nanori: み

Compounds

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese. Cognate with the kusu root of adjective 奇し ‎(kusushi, “mystical”)^[1], from the way that drugs and medicines would have mystical effects.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [kɯᵝsɯᵝ]

Noun

薬 ‎(shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 藥, hiragana くす, romaji kusu)

1. A medicine or drug.

Usage notes

Only used in compounds.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Derivation from kusu above. Appears to be the 連用形 ‎(ren'yōkei, “continuative or noun form”) of hypothetical verb kusuru “to have a mystical effect”.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) くすり [kùsúrí] (Heiban - [0])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̥ᵝsɯᵝɾi]

Noun

薬 ‎(shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 藥, hiragana くすり, romaji 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. (figuratively) Something that has a beneficial effect in correcting one's mistakes.
6. Abbreviation of 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. (figuratively) A small bribe.

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

Etymology 3

From Middle Chinese 藥／药 (yak, “drug, medicine”). Compare modern Cantonese 藥／药 (joek6).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• (Tokyo) や​く [yáꜜkù] (Atamadaka - [1])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ja̠kɯᵝ]

Noun

薬 ‎(shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 藥, hiragana やく, romaji 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

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
3. 1 2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3