Key Facts
- Hangul: 처방전 (cheobangjeon)
- Meaning: prescription
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: neutral and slightly formal; used at clinics and pharmacies
- Hanja: 處方箋 (處 handle + 方 method + 箋 slip)
- Level: B1
Prescription in Korean: What Does 처방전 Mean?
처방전 is built from 처방, the act of prescribing, plus 전, a slip or paper. That makes it the document itself, not the medicine or the act. The medicine is 약, and the medical certificate or diagnosis note is 진단서. The word turns up in the pharmacy routine: you receive a prescription, hand it in, and then collect the medicine. Some medicines need one, and the phrase for that is 처방전이 필요하다.
How Do You Pronounce 처방전?
처방전 has three syllables: cheo-bang-jeon. The ㅊ is aspirated, and the vowel ㅓ in 처 and 전 is unrounded, so keep the lips relaxed. Before 을 the final ㄴ links on, so 처방전을 is cheobangjeoneul. Nothing in the word is tensed.
How Do You Use 처방전 in a Sentence?
처방전을 받았어요.
I received a prescription.
cheobangjeoneul badasseoyo. 처방전을 받았어요 says I received a prescription. 을 marks 처방전 as the object, and 받았어요 is the past of receive. This is what you say right after a doctor's visit.
약국에서 처방전을 내세요.
Hand in the prescription at the pharmacy.
yakgugeseo cheobangjeoneul naeseyo. 약국에서 처방전을 내세요 is a polite instruction: hand in the prescription at the pharmacy. 내세요 comes from 내다, the verb used for handing something in or paying.
이 약은 처방전이 필요해요.
This medicine needs a prescription.
i yageun cheobangjeoni piryohaeyo. 이 약은 처방전이 필요해요 says this medicine needs a prescription. 필요해요 means is needed, and 이 약은 sets the medicine as the topic.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 처방전을 받다 | to receive a prescription |
| 처방전을 내다 | to hand in a prescription |
| 처방전이 필요하다 | to require a prescription |
| 처방전 없이 | without a prescription |
처방전을 받다 is to receive a prescription, and 처방전을 내다 is to hand one in. 처방전이 필요하다 says it is required, and 처방전 없이 means without a prescription. The first two follow the order of a visit: you receive the paper and then hand it in.
Common Mistake
Mix-up: Using 처방전 to mean the medicine.
Instead: 처방전 is the paper. The medicine is 약.
You get a 처방전 from the doctor and 약 from the pharmacy.
How Does 처방전 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How it differs from 처방전 |
|---|---|---|
| 처방 | prescription (the act) | The act of prescribing. 처방전 is the paper that results. |
| 약 | medicine | The medicine itself, which the prescription lets you collect. |
| 진단서 | medical certificate | A medical certificate or diagnosis note, not a prescription. |
At the Pharmacy Counter
A customer arrives with a prescription. The pharmacist asks for the document, and the customer checks where to hand it over.
Pharmacist
처방전 있으세요?
Cheobangjeon isseuseyo?
Do you have a prescription?
Customer
네, 여기 있어요.
Ne, yeogi isseoyo.
Yes, here it is.
Pharmacist
처방전을 이쪽으로 주세요.
Cheobangjeoneul ijjogeuro juseyo.
Please pass the prescription over here.
Customer
여기에 내면 되나요?
Yeogie naemyeon doenayo?
Should I hand it in here?
처방전 있으세요? leaves out the subject marker in a natural counter question. The next request uses 처방전을 because the prescription is the thing being handed over. 내면 되나요? asks whether handing it in here is the right action; the customer does not need to repeat the document’s name.
Phrases for the Document’s Journey
처방전을 받다 means “receive a prescription”. 처방전을 내다 means “hand in a prescription”. Both use the document as the object, but they describe opposite points in its journey: obtaining it and submitting it. The verbs carry that difference.
처방전을 발급하다 means “issue a prescription”. 발급 is issuing a document, so this phrase belongs to the clinic’s side of the exchange. The patient receives what the clinic issues. You may see 발급 in notices about other documents too, including medical certificates.
처방전 없이 means “without a prescription”. 없이 means “without”, and it follows the noun without an object marker. The phrase often appears inside a longer question about whether something can be obtained without that document. It does not by itself tell you the answer.
처방전이 필요하다 means “a prescription is needed”. The prescription takes 이 because it is what is needed. Compare 처방전을 받다, where 을 marks what someone receives. These two patterns help explain why the particle changes across otherwise similar pharmacy sentences.
Where Will You See 처방전?
Clinic desks, pharmacy counters and instructions about collecting medicine use 처방전. In a short spoken question, staff may omit particles because the setting makes the meaning clear. On a written instruction, the fuller phrase 처방전을 내세요 makes the action explicit.
처방전 접수 means “prescription submission” or “prescription reception”. 접수 is the receiving or registration of an application or document. On a counter label it names where prescriptions are accepted; it does not name the medicine or explain how to take it.
처방 and 처방전 are closely connected, but the extra syllable matters. 처방 concerns the prescribed treatment or the act of prescribing. 처방전 names the document carrying that information. English uses “prescription” for both, so it helps to ask whether the sentence concerns a treatment decision or a piece of paperwork.
진단서 is another document you might hear about at a clinic. It certifies a medical diagnosis and is different from the prescription you hand over to obtain medicine. Knowing both words helps you request the document you actually mean.
Words for the Clinic-to-Pharmacy Exchange
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 약국 | pharmacy | The place mentioned in the hand-in instruction. |
| 약사 | pharmacist | The person speaking at the counter in the dialogue. |
| 접수 | reception / submission | Often labels the step where a document is accepted. |
| 발급 | issuing a document | Describes the clinic providing the prescription. |
The health vocabulary lesson teaches the surrounding clinic and pharmacy words. Keep the three central nouns distinct: 처방전 is the document, 약 is the medicine, and 약국 is the place.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase means receiving a prescription: 처방전을 받다 or 처방전을 내다?
- In 처방전이 필요해요, why does 처방전 take 이?
- Is 진단서 another name for the medicine?
Show answers
- 처방전을 받다. 내다 means handing it in.
- It is the thing that is needed, so it takes the subject marker.
- No. It is a medical certificate. Medicine is 약.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 처방전 Mean?
It means a prescription, the written paper from the doctor.
How Do I Say This Medicine Needs a Prescription?
Say 이 약은 처방전이 필요해요.
Is 처방전 the Medicine?
No. The medicine is 약. 처방전 is the paper.
What Do I Do with the 처방전?
Hand it in at the pharmacy: 약국에서 처방전을 내세요.
Where to Go Next
For related health words, open the health vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. Next, see surgery and the word for medicine, and review the set in the vocabulary flashcard decks.