yào

Traditional: 藥

#1243 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

medicine, drug

Word origin

A phono-semantic compound with the grass radical 艹 on top, since early medicines were herbal, and 约 (yuē) supplying the sound in the simplified form. The traditional 藥 uses 樂 as phonetic.

Origin
phono-semantic compound
Root
艹 (grass) + 约 (yuē, phonetic)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 药

Examples

Remember to take your medicine on time.

This medicine is very bitter.

The doctor prescribed me some medicine.

The pharmacy is right at the corner.

lǎnduò

There is no medicine that cures laziness.

药 (yào) means medicine or drug. The grass radical reflects the herbal origins of traditional remedies.

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This word is part of lesson 25.