440/2000
JLPT: N4
School Grade: 3rd (8 years old)
This character was formerly written 醫, which is a combination of an arrow (矢) in its quiver (匸), 殳 the weapon radical and 酉 wine jar, here indicating alcohol. Together it expressed “attack with alcohol,” which is a reference to the practice of using alcohol as a medicine. The meaning eventually expanded to refer to “healing” and “medicine.”
