How to say "medicine" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 薬くすりnounMedicine as a substance: pills and other things you take when ill, or that a doctor prescribes. When you talk about taking medicine, this is the word you want.
- 医いnounMedicine as the healing art — the practice of healing and curing the sick, not a substance you take. For an actual medicine it is seldom the word you want; it really names the art itself.
- 医学いがくnounMedicine as medical science — the discipline studied and researched. Use it when talking about studying medicine, medical research, or the field itself.
- 薬剤やくざいnounA medicine or drug viewed as a medicinal agent; typical of pharmaceutical and technical writing. For everyday talk about taking medicine, it is seldom the word you want.
- 医薬いやくnounMedicine in a broad sense, spanning pharmaceutical drugs and medical treatment alike. You meet it in official and written contexts; for a medicine you actually take, it is seldom the word you want.
Use 薬 for medicine as a substance you take, 医学 for medicine as a field of science or study, and 医 for the healing art; 薬剤 and 医薬 are narrower words for drugs and treatment that learners seldom need.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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