鎮痛薬(ちんつうやく)

A compound of 鎮痛(ちんつう) (pain relief) and 薬(やく) (medicine). This is the standard medical/formal term for painkillers.

Common collocations

• 鎮痛薬(ちんつうやく)を服用(ふくよう)する: to take painkillers (formal)
• 鎮痛薬(ちんつうやく)を処方(しょほう)する: to prescribe painkillers
• 市販(しはん)の鎮痛薬(ちんつうやく): over-the-counter painkillers

Similar words

• 鎮痛剤(ちんつうざい): painkiller — virtually synonymous; 剤(ざい) and 薬(やく) are interchangeable here
• 痛(いた)み止(ど)め: painkiller — the everyday, colloquial term most commonly used in conversation

Usage

In casual speech, 痛(いた)み止(ど)め is far more common. 鎮痛薬(ちんつうやく) tends to appear in medical contexts, product packaging, and written materials.