くすり

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See also: くすり
くすり U+85AC, 薬
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-85AC
かおる
[U+85AB]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+85AD]

Translingual[edit]

Traditional くすり
Shinjitai くすり
Simplified

Han character[edit]

くすり (Kangxi radical 140, そうこう+13, 16 strokes, cangjie input 廿にじゅうほこじん (TIOD), composition らく)

References[edit]

  • 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[edit]

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

Japanese[edit]

Shinjitai

くすり

Kyūjitai

くすり

Kanji[edit]

くすり

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanjishinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form くすり)

  1. medicine, drug
  2. chemical

Readings[edit]

Compounds[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Affix[edit]

くすり(くす) (kusu

  1. a medicine or drug
Usage notes[edit]

Only used in compounds.

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

くすり(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 火薬かやく (kayaku, gunpowder))
  8. (figurative) a small bribe
Usage notes[edit]

The medicine sense is probably the most common in modern Japanese.

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Kanji in this term
くすり
やく
Grade: 3
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
くすり (kyūjitai)

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

くすり(やく) (yaku

  1. (slang) a medicine or drug, especially a narcotic or other recreational drug
Usage notes[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語こくごだい辞典じてん新装しんそうばん [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林だいじりん [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 3.0 3.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語にほんご発音はつおんアクセント辞典じてん [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN