醫 meaning and stroke order
To cure, to heal, to treat; doctor; medicine
How to write 醫, stroke by stroke
18 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 醫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- medical
- medicine
- doctor
- to cure
- to treat
How 醫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wine.
酉 gives the meaning and 殹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 酉 (wine), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 醫
醫 (yī) is built from 殹 on top, which gives the sound, and 酉 (wine) below, which gives the meaning. Picture a healer using wine from the jar 酉 to clean wounds and make medicine.
醫 is the traditional form, used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and older texts. Mainland China writes it as 医. It mostly appears in compounds like 醫生 (yīshēng, doctor) and 醫院 (yīyuàn, hospital), for example 我要去醫院 (wǒ yào qù yīyuàn), I need to go to the hospital.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 西 (xī) instead of 酉 (yǒu). 酉 has an extra horizontal stroke inside the box. Also keep the first tone in 醫生 (yīshēng), and do not confuse it with 衣 (yī, clothing), which sounds the same.
Common words with 醫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 醫生 | yīshēng | doctor; medical practitioner | HSK 1 |
| 醫院 | yīyuàn | hospital | HSK 1 |
| 西醫 | xīyī | Western medicine; a doctor trained in Western medicine | HSK 2 |
| 中醫 | zhōngyī | traditional Chinese medical science; a doctor trained in Chinese medicine | HSK 2 |
| 醫療 | yīliáo | medical treatment | HSK 4 |
| 醫學 | yīxué | medicine; medical science | HSK 4 |
| 醫藥 | yīyào | medical care and medicines; medicine (drug) | HSK 6 |
| 醫務 | yīwù | medical affairs | HSK 7-9 |
| 就醫 | jiùyī | to receive medical treatment | HSK 7-9 |
| 求醫 | qiúyī | to seek medical treatment; to see a doctor | HSK 7-9 |
| 醫師 | yīshī | doctor; physician | |
| 牙醫 | yáyī | dentist | |
| 法醫 | fǎyī | forensic pathologist; forensic doctor; medical examiner | |
| 獸醫 | shòuyī | veterinarian; veterinary surgeon |
Questions about 醫
How many strokes are in 醫?
醫 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 醫 mean?
醫 (yī) means to cure, to heal, to treat; doctor; medicine. A common word with it is 医生 (yīshēng), meaning "doctor; medical practitioner".
How do you pronounce 醫?
醫 is pronounced yī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 醫?
The radical of 醫 is 酉, which carries the idea of "wine". Dictionaries list 醫 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 醫?
醫 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 医, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 中醫 and 西醫?
中醫 (zhōngyī) means traditional Chinese medicine or a doctor who practices it. 西醫 (xīyī) means Western medicine or a doctor trained in it. Many Chinese hospitals offer both.
Can 醫 be used alone as a verb?
Yes. It can mean to treat or cure, as in 醫病 (yī bìng), to treat an illness, or 醫好了 (yī hǎo le), cured. In everyday speech, compounds like 治療 (zhìliáo) or 看病 (kàn bìng) are more common.