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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "pill" in Chinese?
药丸
yào wán
In Chinese, "pill" is 药丸 (yào wán).
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Pronunciation
It's pronounced "yào wán", where "yào" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4), then "wán" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).
Writing and usage
药丸 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
他用水吞下了药丸。
tā yòng shuǐ tūn xià le yào wán 。
He swallowed the pill with water.
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How to remember 药丸
Link the sound of "yào wán" to something in English that it faintly echoes, then picture that image next to "药丸" (yào wán).
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 药丸
How do you pronounce 药丸?
It's pronounced "yào wán", where "yào" is falling fast and sharp, like a command (tone 4), then "wán" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).
Is 药丸 formal or casual?
药丸 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 药丸 used in Chinese?
药丸 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 他用水吞下了药丸。 (He swallowed the pill with water.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Pill" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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