藥 meaning and stroke order
Drugs, medicine; the leaf of the Dahurian angelica plant
How to write 藥, stroke by stroke
19 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 藥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- medicine
- drug
- substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenting)
- to poison
How 藥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 樂 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 藥
藥 is grass 艹 on top of 樂 (lè, happy). Picture plants 艹 that make you feel well and happy again: that is medicine. 樂 also hints at the sound, since 樂 can be read yuè and yào.
藥 is the traditional form. Simplified Chinese writes it 药, which you will see in most words like 药店 (yàodiàn, pharmacy) and 中药 (zhōngyào, traditional Chinese medicine). It also covers chemical substances with a purpose, as in 炸药 (zhàyào, explosive). Example: 我要去吃藥。(Wǒ yào qù chī yào.) I need to go take my medicine.
Common mistake: Learners often say 喝藥 for all medicine. Chinese uses 吃藥 (chī yào) for taking medicine in general, even pills, and saves 喝 for liquid medicine like 藥水. Also watch the two yào in 我要吃藥. 要 means want and 藥 means medicine, and both are fourth tone.
Common words with 藥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 藥片 | yàopiàn | a (medicine) pill or tablet | HSK 2 |
| 藥店 | yàodiàn | pharmacy; drugstore | HSK 2 |
| 藥水 | yàoshuǐ | medicine in liquid form; bottled medicine | HSK 2 |
| 藥物 | yàowù | medicaments; pharmaceuticals | HSK 4 |
| 中藥 | zhōngyào | traditional Chinese medicine | HSK 5 |
| 炸藥 | zhàyào | explosive; blasting agent; dynamite | HSK 6 |
| 藥品 | yàopǐn | medicaments; medicine | HSK 6 |
| 醫藥 | yīyào | medical care and medicines; medicine (drug) | HSK 6 |
| 安眠藥 | ānmiányào | sleeping pill | HSK 7-9 |
| 火藥 | huǒyào | gunpowder | HSK 7-9 |
| 藥方 | yàofāng | prescription | HSK 7-9 |
| 藥材 | yàocái | medicinal ingredient | HSK 7-9 |
| 吃藥 | chīyào | to take medicine | |
| 彈藥 | dànyào | ammunition |
Questions about 藥
How many strokes are in 藥?
藥 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 藥 mean?
藥 (yào) means drugs, medicine; the leaf of the Dahurian angelica plant. A common word with it is 药片 (yàopiàn), meaning "a (medicine) pill or tablet".
How do you pronounce 藥?
藥 is pronounced yào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 藥?
The radical of 藥 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 藥 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 藥?
藥 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 药, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Does 藥 mean illegal drugs too?
On its own, 藥 usually means medicine. Illegal drugs are normally called 毒品 (dúpǐn). 藥 can still appear in slang, as in 嗑藥 (kè yào, to take drugs recreationally).
Can 藥 be used as a verb?
Yes, in some contexts it means to poison, for example 藥老鼠 (yào lǎoshǔ, to poison rats). This use is less common than the noun meaning.