What does 医 mean in Chinese?

医 is a Chinese character with the radical 匚.

How do you write 医?

医 is written with 7 strokes, starting from the 匚 (right open box) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 医?

The radical of 医 is 匚 (right open box, Kangxi radical #22). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 区, 匚.

How many strokes does 医 have?

The Chinese character 医 has 7 strokes.

What HSK level is 医?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 医 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

医: Chinese Character Details

医

HSK 1 character 7 strokes Radical: 匚 (right open box)

Quick Answer

医 is a Chinese character with 7 strokes, radical 匚 (right open box), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 医 →Animated stroke-order for 医 →

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

The traditional form 醫 is a late compound and does not appear in oracle bone script. It combines 殹 (a sound component suggesting a cry or groan of pain) over 酉 (a wine jar), reflecting the ancient use of fermented liquor as medicine and antiseptic. The simplified form 医 takes only the top-left element 医, originally a pictograph of an arrow (矢) inside a quiver or box, which served as a phonetic loan.

Form evolution

The full form 醫 is attested in bronze and seal script with the wine-jar 酉 clearly visible at the base. Clerical script regularised the upper components into the block shape seen today. The PRC simplification adopted the older variant 医 (already used as a short form in earlier manuscripts), dropping 殳 and 酉 entirely.

How the meaning evolved

The original sense centred on the healer or the act of treating illness, tied materially to medicinal wine. It broadened to cover medicine as a field, doctors as a profession, and hospitals as institutions. Modern Mandarin uses 医 in all three senses: 医生 (doctor), 医学 (medicine as discipline), 医院 (hospital).

Cultural note

The link between wine and medicine preserved in 醫 reflects real Shang and Zhou practice, where alcohol was the primary solvent for herbal preparations. Learners often confuse 医 with the unrelated 匹 because of the enclosing stroke shape, but the inner components differ.