---
title: "Yaocai Meaning: 药材 (yàocái) Means “medicinal materials”"
description: "药材 (traditional 藥材, yàocái) means “medicinal materials (esp. herbs)”. Hear its tones, see what 药 and 材 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yaocai"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 药材 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

药材 yàocái

## medicinal materials (esp. herbs)

## Its characters

1. 药 yào medicine
2. 材 cái material (as in 材料)

## In a sentence

山上长着很多药材。 Lots of medicinal herbs grow on the mountain.

[More about 药材](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%8D%AF%E6%9D%90)

## More words with 药 or 材

- [材料 cáiliào](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cailiao)
- [材质 cáizhì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/caizhi)
- [棺材 guāncai](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guancai)
- [教材 jiàocái](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jiaocai)
- [木材 mùcái](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/mucai)
- [器材 qìcái](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/qicai)
- [身材 shēncái](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shencai)
- [素材 sùcái](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/sucai)
- [题材 tícái](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ticai)
- [药品 yàopǐn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yaopin)

## Keep 药材 for Review

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