Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 に 薬やく 剤ざい を 投とう 与よ する to administer a drug/medication to someone
The doctor administered a new medication to the patient.
〈 物もの 〉 に 薬やく 剤ざい を 使し 用よう する to use a chemical agent on something
The farmer used a chemical agent to control pests.
薬やく 剤ざい の 副ふく 作さ 用よう が 出で る to experience side effects from a drug
This medication can sometimes cause side effects.
Kanji 薬 medicine, chemical, enamel Related words 薬 is the everyday, general word for medicine, while 薬剤 is a more formal or technical term used in medical and professional contexts.
医薬品 refers specifically to pharmaceutical products approved for medical use, whereas 薬剤 also covers non-medicinal chemical agents like pesticides.
Don't confuse with 薬品 and 薬剤 look and sound similar and both can mean 'chemical/drug', but 薬品 is more common for lab or industrial chemicals while 薬剤 leans toward medicinal or regulatory use.
薬材 (same reading as 薬剤 ) means the raw ingredients or materials used to make medicine, not the finished medicinal substance that 薬剤 refers to.
薬剤 refers to a prepared medicinal agent or dose dispensed by a pharmacist, while 薬物 is the broader, more clinical/legal term for any drug substance.
Etymology Compound of 薬 (yaku, 'medicine, chemical') and 剤 (zai, 'preparation, agent'). The combination straightforwardly means 'medicinal or chemical agent'.
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