药丸 (yào wán) literally combines 药 (yào), meaning 'medicine' or 'drug', and 丸 (wán), meaning 'pill' or 'ball-shaped object'. Together, they refer specifically to a small, solid, orally administered medicinal dosage form—typically round or oval, made by compressing powdered ingredients or coating a core. Unlike liquid medicines (药水 yàoshuǐ) or injections (注射 zhùshè), 药丸 emphasizes the physical pill format.

This term is neutral and widely used in everyday health contexts: doctors prescribe them, pharmacists dispense them, and patients take them with water. It’s distinct from broader terms like 药品 (yàopǐn, 'medicinal products') or 药物 (yàowù, 'drugs/substances'), as it specifies the pill shape and oral delivery method. While some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pills are called 丸 (e.g., 六味地黄丸), modern Western-style tablets are also commonly referred to as 药丸 in colloquial speech.