How do you say "prescription" in Japanese?

処方箋

shohousen

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "prescription" is 処方箋 (shohousen).

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Pronunciation

Shoh-hoh-sen, three syllables, built from shohou, prescribing, plus sen, a written slip.

Writing and usage

処方箋 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

医者は薬の処方箋を書いてくれた。

isha ha kusuri no shohousen wo kai tekureta.

The doctor wrote a prescription for the pills.

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How to remember 処方箋

Shohousen is literally the prescribing-slip, the actual piece of paper you take to get medicine.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 処方箋

How do you pronounce 処方箋?

Shoh-hoh-sen, three syllables, built from shohou, prescribing, plus sen, a written slip.

Is 処方箋 formal or casual?

処方箋 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 処方箋 written in Japanese?

処方箋 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as shohousen.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Prescription" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese 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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