How to say "antibiotic" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 抗生物質こうせいぶっしつnounThe common word for an antibiotic as a medicine that fights bacterial infection; this is what you want in most contexts, such as a doctor prescribing antibiotics or discussing a course of treatment.
- 抗生剤こうせいざいnounA less common synonym for the same medicine: it covers the antibiotic-as-drug sense in much the same contexts, such as a clinic prescription, but 抗生物質 remains the word learners will meet most often.
- 化膿止めかのうどめnounLiterally a pus-preventing remedy: its primary sense is antipyic, a drug that keeps a wound from festering, and it is a marginal, less common way to say antibiotic — use 抗生物質 for the medicine itself.
For antibiotic as a medicine, use 抗生物質, the common word; 抗生剤 is a less common synonym for the same medicine; 「化膿止め」 really means a pus-preventing drug and is only a marginal way to say antibiotic.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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