caat3 joek6擦藥擦药

Jyutpingcaat3 joek6

Yalechaat yeuhk

Definition

To apply or rub on medicated ointment or lotion.

colloquialhealthdaily actions

How it's used

Refers specifically to the act of applying topical treatments like ointments, creams, or liquids to the skin. It is rarely used for oral medication or injections, which would require different verbs like 食藥 or 打針. The term implies a gentle, physical motion of spreading the substance over an affected area.

Examples

nei5你sat1膝tau4頭go1哥syun2損zo2咗，faai3快di1啲heoi3去caat3擦joek6藥laa1啦。

Your knee is scraped, go apply some medicine quickly.

keoi5佢bong1幫aa3阿zai2仔caat3擦joek6藥go2嗰zan6陣，aa3阿zai2仔haam3喊dak1得hou2好sai1犀lei6利。

When she was applying medicine to her son, he cried very loudly.

Common phrases

caat3擦joek6藥gou1膏

to apply ointment

caat3擦joek6藥seoi2水

to apply liquid medication

Common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse this with 搽, which is the more common character used for spreading or smearing substances like lotion or butter. While 擦 is understood, 搽 is the standard way to write this verb in Cantonese.