薬を飲む

The structure is very simple. You take the word for medicine, 薬 (kusuri), add the object marker を (o), and finish with 飲む (nomu). If you want to be polite, use 飲みます (nomimasu). If you're talking to a doctor or being extra soft, you might call it お薬 (okusuri). It’s a very versatile phrase. You’ll hear it in hospitals, pharmacies, and even at the dinner table. Just remember: no matter the shape of the medicine, the verb stays the same.

Use this whenever health is the topic. Maybe you have a nagging headache at work. You might tell a colleague, 薬を飲みます (I’m going to take some medicine). Or perhaps you're checking on a sick friend via text. You'd ask, 薬飲んだ？ (Did you take your meds?). It’s perfect for daily vitamins and supplements too. If you're at a pharmacy, the pharmacist will use this phrase constantly. They’ll tell you when to 'drink' your prescription. It’s the universal way to talk about medicating yourself.

Don't use 飲む for things you don't swallow. If you're putting on a bandage, that's not 'drinking.' If you're using eye drops, Japanese uses the verb さす (sasu). For ointments or creams, you use 塗る (nuru). Also, avoid using the verb とる (toru), which is the literal translation of 'take.' While people might understand you, it sounds like you're physically picking up the bottle rather than ingesting the contents. And definitely don't use 食べる (taberu/eat), even if the medicine is a chewable tablet. That just sounds like you're having a very strange snack.

Why 'drink'? It goes back to history. Long before modern pills, Japanese medicine was mostly 漢方 (Kanpo), or Chinese herbal medicine. These were usually bitter teas or liquid decoctions. Since you were literally drinking a liquid, 飲む was the natural verb. When Western medicine arrived in pill form, the language didn't bother changing the verb. The tradition of 'drinking' your cure stayed. Even today, many Japanese people prefer powdered medicine over pills, which reinforces that 'drinking' sensation. It’s a linguistic fossil of how people used to heal.

You'll often see this paired with timing. 食後に飲む (shokugo ni nomu) means to take it after a meal. 食前に飲む (shokuzen ni nomu) means before a meal. If you forget your meds, you’d say 飲み忘れた (nomi-wasureta). If you’re a bit of a rebel and stop taking them early, that’s 飲み止める (nomi-yameru). You can also add お to the front of 薬 to sound more caring or professional. It’s a small addition that changes the whole vibe of the sentence.