How to Say ‘To drink’ in Japanese
のむ
nomu
[noh-moo]
💬 Usage Tip: [飲む] literally means “to drink,” but with medicine it means “to take.” Japanese treats pills as something you “drink” with water—kind of cute logic.
🇯🇵 In Japan: At the pharmacy you’ll also hear [お水で飲んでください] (“Please take it with water”). Taking pills with lots of tea/coffee is sometimes discouraged depending on the medicine.
Phrase Breakdown
のむ
nomu
[noh-moo]
to drink; to take (medicine)
Verb meaning “to drink,” and commonly “to take” when talking about medicine (飲む薬 = oral medicine).
この薬を食後にのむと楽になります。
If you take this medicine after meals, you’ll feel better.
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