Korean Pharmacy Vocabulary: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Pharmacy Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 30 words in five groups of six. It follows the order of a pharmacy visit: you name the kind of medicine you need, a pharmacist tells you how to take it, you ask about reactions, you add first aid items and you may buy a vitamin. It belongs to Health and Medicine, and it pairs with the symptom words, because the pharmacist first asks what is wrong.

The words are mostly nouns, plus a few label words such as 식전 and 식후, which tell you when to take a dose. Learners often want to know which of the 30 matter most, so the next section ranks them.

Which Pharmacy Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 약 (medicine), 약국 (pharmacy), 처방전 (prescription), 식후 (after meals) and 부작용 (side effect) first. With those five you can say where you are going, whether you have a prescription and whether you can take a drug at once. Then add the medicine types, such as 진통제 (painkiller), that you are most likely to ask for by name.

• Words to say. 약, 진통제, 소화제, 감기약, 반창고. These are what you ask for across the counter.
• Words to recognise. 처방전, 식전, 식후, 복용, 부작용, 주의 사항. These are printed on labels and leaflets, so learn them by reading.
• Words to understand when spoken. 하루, 알 and 드세요. The pharmacist says these when explaining how to take a drug.

Korea has a few more habits worth knowing. Some medicines need a doctor's 처방전, while others you can buy freely; the law uses the terms 전문의약품 (prescription-only medicine) and 일반의약품 (over-the-counter medicine). A short list of basic medicines, such as some painkillers and digestive medicines, can also be sold at convenience stores. Confirm any specific rule with the pharmacist.

Word · 8

1. 1

   약

   Play

   yak

   medicine

2. 2

   약국

   Play

   yakguk

   pharmacy

3. 3

   진통제

   Play

   jintongje

   painkiller

4. 4

   소화제

   Play

   sohwaje

   digestive medicine

5. 5

   연고

   Play

   yeongo

   ointment

6. 6

   처방전

   Play

   cheobangjeon

   prescription

7. 7

   반창고

   Play

   banchanggo

   adhesive bandage

8. 8

   체온계

   Play

   che-ongye

   thermometer

Types of Medicine

The plain word for medicine is 약 (yak), and Korean makes types by adding a suffix. 제 (je) marks a medicine made to treat something, so 진통제 is a pain-stopping medicine and 소화제 is a digestion medicine. Compounds with 약 name the illness first: 감기약 is cold medicine. Say the name and then 주세요 (please give me) to ask for it.

Notice that the sentences end in 요 and use the object particle 을 after a consonant and 를 after a vowel. Ending a request with 주세요 is the safest polite form at any counter.

Example Sentences

Three frames cover most of the examples. The first is noun + 주세요 (please give me noun), as in 소화제 주세요. The second is noun + 있어요? (do you have noun?), as in 진통제 있어요?. The third is noun + 이/가 있어요 (I have noun), as in 알레르기가 있어요. Say each aloud after the audio. A pharmacist will usually answer with a dosage line, so keep reading to the label section.

Once you have the medicine, the next question is how to take it.

How Do You Say Dosage and Instructions in Korean?

A dosage instruction in Korean has three parts: when, how many and how often. 식전 and 식후 say when, a native number plus 알 says how many pills, and 하루 plus a number plus 번 says how often. 처방전 is the prescription the pharmacist reads first, and 복용 is the formal word for taking a medicine, the one printed on labels.

Native numbers drop their last syllable before a counter: 하나 becomes 한, 둘 becomes 두, 셋 becomes 세. That is why the sentence says 두 알 and 세 번, not 둘 알 and 셋 번. The same counter pattern is explained on the counters for things page, where 알 appears with other small round objects.

Dosage tells you how to take a drug, and the next group tells you what it might do to you.

Side Effects

Side effects are 부작용 (bujagyong), and a pharmacist will ask whether you have 알레르기 (an allergy) before selling you anything. The words here let you answer and ask. They also help you read the 주의 사항 (precautions) section, a block of text on every box. The usual question is 부작용이 있어요?, which asks whether there are side effects.

If a reaction is severe, do not rely on this list. Go to an emergency room and use the emergency phrases, which give full sentences. The vocabulary here is for ordinary questions at a counter.

Many pharmacy trips are not about illness at all, but about small injuries at home.

How Do You Say First Aid Items in Korean?

First aid items are sold at pharmacies and convenience stores, and the names are short. Several are loanwords or half-loanwords, such as 마스크 (mask), while others are Sino-Korean compounds, such as 소독약. A thermometer is 체온계, built from 체온 (body temperature) and 계 (instrument), the same 계 that appears in other measuring tools.

Two verbs repay attention. 바르다 (to spread) goes with ointments and antiseptics, while 붙이다 (to stick on) goes with patches. The verb for a mask is 쓰다, the same word as for a hat or glasses.

The last group covers the shelves most visitors browse without a prescription.

Vitamins and Supplements

Korean pharmacies and drugstores sell a wide range of supplements, so these six words help you read shelf labels. The general term is 영양제, a nutrition product, and the specific names mix loanwords (비타민, 칼슘) with Sino-Korean words (유산균, 철분). 홍삼 is red ginseng, ginseng that has been steamed and dried, a traditional health product that many people take for energy.

Before the sound notes, here is how the words work together on a real label.

How Do You Read a Korean Medicine Label?

A label packs the dosage into a few short lines. The sample below shows the three that matter. Read them from left to right: how often, when, how many. Numerals on labels are often digits, so you need to know their spoken forms.

The label counter 회 (hoe) means times, and in speech it is usually replaced by 번. Read aloud as written, 하루 3회 is 하루 삼 회. The numbers with 회 and 분 use Sino-Korean numbers (삼, 삼십) on labels, while 알 and 번 use native numbers (두, 세). Mixing the two systems is normal. Check the counters for things page before you go.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Pharmacy words contain several sound changes, because many end in a consonant. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which does not mark every sound change.

The tense sounds in 약국 and 식전 are the ones learners most often get wrong. Say the second sound with a tight throat and no puff of breath. The pronunciation pages of this site explain tense sounds in more detail.

Audio and Slow Playback

Every word and every example sentence has its own clip. The five clips below replay the trickiest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Pharmacy Words?

These five mistakes cause most misunderstandings at a counter.

1. Saying 약 when you mean the shop. 약 is medicine and 약국 is the pharmacy. Use 약국에 가요 for I am going to the pharmacy.
2. Drinking medicine. Korean says 약을 먹다, to eat medicine, even for liquids and pills. 마시다 is for drinks and is not used for ordinary medicine. Drink-type products, such as a bottle of 홍삼, take 마시다.
3. Mixing up 식전 and 식후. 전 means before and 후 means after. Check the second character, not the first.
4. Using 개 for pills. Count pills with 알, as in 두 알. Use 개 for general objects, not for tablets.
5. Expecting every medicine behind the counter. Some basic medicines are also sold in convenience stores, and strong medicines need a 처방전. Ask 처방전이 필요해요? to check.

Learning the counters and the two label words 식전 and 식후 removes most of the risk.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise each of the 30 words. Second, switch to listening mode. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 30 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the 30 words by hand and write the meaning beside each. Writing the label line 식후 30분 yourself fixes both the word and the number pattern.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Symptoms Vocabulary, which teaches the words a pharmacist asks about first, or Korean Dentist Vocabulary. For the single word, see pharmacy in Korean. To move up a level, return to Health and Medicine.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Medicine in Korean?

Medicine is 약 (yak). Add 을 to make an object, as in 약을 먹어요 (I take medicine). Korean uses the verb 먹다, which means to eat, for ordinary medicine. A pharmacy is 약국 (yakguk), pronounced [약꾹], and a prescription is 처방전 (cheobangjeon).

How Do You Pronounce 약국 (yakguk)?

Say yak-guk, but make the second sound tense, as in [약꾹]. After a final ㄱ, the next ㄱ is said tight and unaspirated, with no puff of breath. Both syllables end in a closed k sound. Press the audio button on this page for the normal and slow versions.

How Many Pharmacy Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 약, 약국, 처방전, 식후 and 부작용. At five new words a day the whole list of 30 takes six days plus review. Add the medicine types you actually expect to ask for, such as 진통제 or 소화제.

Where Can I Practise Pharmacy Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, with recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser. Return daily and review the cards you missed.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not mark every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Pharmacy Words?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 30 words.

Save This to Pinterest