Dictionary › 药

药

yào

HSK 2 Character Traditional 葯

What 药 means

1. leaf of the iris
2. variant of {药|yào}

Other readings

药 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• yàomedicine; drug; substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenti

Example sentences

• 喝药了。
  Drink the medicine.
• 良药苦口。
  Liángyàokǔkǒu.
  Good medicine is bitter to the mouth.
• 我吃了药。
  I took the medicine.
• 我必须吃药。
  I have to take medicine.
• 这是个据药。
  This medicine has a strong effect.
• 这是个剧药。
  This medicine has a strong effect.

Words starting with 药

• 药物yào wùmedicaments; pharmaceuticals; medication
• 药品yào pǐnmedicaments; medicine; drug
• 药店yào diànpharmacy; drugstore
• 药水yào shuǐmedicine in liquid form; bottled medicine; lotion
• 药材yào cáimedicinal ingredient
• 药方yào fāngprescription
• 药房yào fángpharmacy; drugstore; dispensary
• 药师yào shīpharmacist
• 药片yào piàna (medicine) pill or tablet
• 药丸yào wánpill
• 药剂yào jìmedicine; medicament; drug
• 药学yào xuépharmacy (science of preparing medicines)
• 药瓶yào píngmedicine bottle
• 药用yào yòngmedicinal use; pharmaceutical
• 药膏yào gāoointment
• 药剂师yào jì shīpharmacist
• 药效yào xiàomedicinal effect
• 药商yào shāngdruggist
• 药局yào júpharmacy; dispensary
• 药性yào xìngmedicinal effect
• 药检yào jiǎndrugs test (e.g. on athletes)
• 药流yào liúmedical abortion
• 药理yào lǐpharmacology
• 药签yào qiānmedical swab

Words containing 药

• 火药huǒ yàogunpowder
• 医药yī yàomedical care and medicines; medicine (drug); medical
• 中药zhōng yàotraditional Chinese medicine
• 吃药chī yàoto take medicine
• 炸药zhà yàoexplosive; blasting agent; dynamite
• 毒药dú yàopoison
• 农药nóng yàoagricultural chemical; farm chemical; pesticide
• 弹药dàn yàoammunition
• 安眠药ān mián yàosleeping pill
• 服药fú yàoto take medicine
• 草药cǎo yàoherbal medicine
• 制药zhì yàoto manufacture medicine
• 避孕药bì yùn yàooral contraceptive
• 西药xī yàoWestern medicine
• 膏药gāo yaoherbal plaster applied to a wound
• 良药liáng yàogood medicine; panacea; fig. a good solution
• 麻药má yàoanesthetic
• 中草药zhōng cǎo yàoChinese herbal medicine
• 火药味huǒ yào wèismell of gunpowder; (fig.) combative tone; belligerence
• 山药shān yaoDioscorea polystachya; yam
• 感冒药gǎn mào yàomedicine for colds
• 对症下药duì zhèng xià yàolit. to prescribe the right medicine for an illness (idiom)…
• 假药jiǎ yàofake drugs
• 消炎药xiāo yán yàoanti-inflammatory medicine

Characters that look like 药

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 苗miáosprout
• 匪fěibandit; (literary) not
• 莹yíngluster of gems
• 茁zhuóto display vigorous, new growth; to sprout
• 莆púused in 莆田
• 茔yíng(literary) a grave

Sounds the same

Read yào, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 要to want; to need; to ask for; will; shall; about to; need to; should
• 耀brilliant; glorious
• 曜bright; glorious; one of the seven planets of premodern astronomy
• 鹞sparrow hawk; Accipiter nisus
• 燿brilliant; glorious
• 靿the leg of a boot or sock
• 疟used in 疟子
• 袎variant of 靿