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See also:
U+85AC, 薬
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-85AC

[U+85AB]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+85AD]

Translingual

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Traditional
Shinjitai
Simplified

Han character

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(Kangxi radical 140, +13, 16 strokes, cangjie input 廿戈人木 (TIOD), composition )

Derived characters

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References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 1062, character 44
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 32188
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): not present, would follow volume 5, page 3303, character 5
  • Unihan data for U+85AC

Chinese

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For pronunciation and definitions of – see (“medicine; drug; pharmaceutical; substance used for a particular purpose; etc.”).
(This character is a variant form of ).

Japanese

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Shinjitai

Kyūjitai

Kanji

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(Third grade kyōiku kanjishinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form )

  1. medicine, drug
  2. chemical

Readings

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  • Go-on: やく (yaku, Jōyō)
  • Kan-on: やく (yaku, Jōyō)
  • Kun: くす (kusu, )くすり (kusuri, , Jōyō)
  • Nanori: (mi)

Compounds

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Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
くす
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
(kyūjitai)

From Old Japanese. Cognate with the kusu root of adjective 奇し (kusushi, mystical),[1] from the way that drugs and medicines would have mystical effects.

Pronunciation

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Affix

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(くす) (kusu

  1. a medicine or drug
Usage notes
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Only used in compounds.

Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term
くすり
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
(kyūjitai)

From Proto-Japonic *kusori. Derivation from kusu above. Appears to be the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, continuative or noun form) of unattested verb kusuru “to have a mystical effect”.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(くすり) (kusuri

  1. a substance with mystical properties, especially one that has an effect on the body, health, or lifespan
  2. a medicine or drug, a pharmaceutical
  3. a chemical, generally toxic and used for its effect on living organisms, such as insecticide or herbicide
  4. a substance that has a beneficial effect in improving or maintaining one's health
  5. (figurative) something that has a beneficial effect in correcting one's mistakes
  6. Short for 釉薬 (uwagusuri): a glaze or enamel applied to ceramics
  7. gunpowder (from the “mystical substance” sense, and the second character in the word 火薬 (kayaku, gunpowder))
  8. (figurative) a small bribe
Usage notes
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The medicine sense is probably the most common in modern Japanese.

Derived terms
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Etymology 3

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Kanji in this term
やく
Grade: 3
on'yomi
Alternative spelling
(kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese (MC yak). Compare modern Cantonese (joek6).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(やく) (yaku

  1. (slang) a medicine or drug, especially a narcotic or other recreational drug
Usage notes
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The slang meaning is generally limited to when the term yaku is used as a standalone noun. In compounds, yaku refers more generally to pharmaceuticals, or sometimes chemicals.

Derived terms
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References

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  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 くすり 【薬】Paid subscription required”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
  3. 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. 4.0 4.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
  5. 5.0 5.1 やく 【薬】Paid subscription required”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[2] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here