薬 — “medicine” in Japanese

Grade 3やく, くすり

Radical ⾋ · radical 140 The building block this kanji is filed under

“medicine” in Japanese is 薬, read yaku, kusuri (やく, くすり). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 薬局 (pharmacy).

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What does 薬 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	薬
Meaning	medicine
Readings	やく, くすり
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	薬局 (pharmacy)

How to read 薬

薬 is read yaku (やく) or kusuri (くすり) depending on the word.

Words with 薬

火薬かやく
薬局
毒薬

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Kanji read the same way as 薬

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Updated: 2026-08-28