
Need help with learning Japanese pharmacy vocabulary? The cheat sheet below is a compiled list to help you buy the right over-the-counter medicine! It is also a continuation of part one of our Japanese pharmacy vocabulary series.
From this list, we hope that you will be more able to communicate with the pharmacist in Japan and let them know what you are looking for.
Fun fact: many tourists often visit Japan for the sole purpose of drugstore shopping due to its cheap yet high-quality merchandise.
Click here for a list of top drugstores in Japan. Remember—practice makes perfect. This is part two of our Japanese pharmacy vocabulary series, so don’t go ahead before visiting the first one.
Japanese Pharmacy Vocabulary Sentence Examples
Here is how you form basic sentences with the terminology:
Example 1:
さくばんかたにしっぷをはったので、今朝痛みが消えていました。
Sakuban kata ni shippu o hattanode, kesa itami ga kiete imashita
Because I applied a cold patch on my shoulder last night, the pain was gone by the morning.
Example 2:
やくざいしからくうふくのときをさけ、くすりをしょくごにのむようにと言われました。
yakuzaishi kara kūfuku no toki o sake, kusuri wo shokugo ni nomu you ni to iwaremashita
My pharmacist told me to avoid taking medicine on an empty stomach and to take it after a meal.
Japanese Pharmacy Vocabulary – Pharmacy (やっきょく)
Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
やっきょく | yakkyoku | Pharmacy |
やくざいし | yakuzaishi | Pharmacist |
しょほうせん | shohōsen | Prescription |
ほけんしょう | hokensho | Insurance Card |
マスク | masuku | Mask |
しょうどく | shoudoku | Sanitize |
アルコールしょうどくえき | arukōru shoudokueki | Alcohol-based sanitizer |
しっぷ | shippu | Cold patch |
ビタミン | bitamin | Vitamin |
Japanese Pharmacy Vocabulary – Instructions for taking medicine (くすりののみかた)
Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning |
ないふくやく | naifukuyaku | oral drugs |
がいようやく | gaiyōyaku | Medicine for external use |
のむ | nomu | Drink |
はる | haru | Stick on |
ぬる | nuru | Apply, put (ointment) |
しょくぜん | shoku zen | Before meal |
しょっかん | shokkan | Between meals |
しょくご | shoku go | After meal |
しゅうしんぜん | shū shin zen | Before sleep |
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