The character 药 — “medicine”: how to write it and what it means
medicine
The Chinese character 药 is read yào and means “medicine”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 药
药 has 9 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 药, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 药 is made of
On top, 艹 “grass”: medicines were made from herbs.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 药
- 药店pharmacyHSK 2
- 药品medicines (products)HSK 5
- 药物medicationHSK 5
- 中药Chinese medicine (remedy)HSK 5
- 医药medicine and drugsHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 药?
药 has 9 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 药 mean?
药 means “medicine”. It appears in 药店 (“pharmacy”), 药品 (“medicines”), 药物 (“medication”), 中药 (“Chinese medicine”).
How do you pronounce 药?
药 is read yào. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 药 have?
9 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 药 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free