# TOPIK I Reading Practice: Decode a Korean Medicine Label

![Image](https://upload.cafenono.com/image/slashpagePost/20260903/095201_dTEESJMqLnZADDPVl1?q=80&s=1280x180&t=outside&f=webp)

You leave a pharmacy in Korea with a small paper bag. The pharmacist explained everything, but the Korean came quickly. Now the label shows **1회 1정**, **1일 3회**, and **식후**.

This is a useful travel moment and a useful TOPIK I reading drill. You do not need to understand every medical word. Start by finding four pieces of information: the amount, the daily frequency, the time, and any warning.

| Label clue | Basic meaning | Question it answers |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1회 1정 | one tablet each time | How much each time? |
| 1일 3회 | three times a day | How often each day? |
| 식후 | after a meal | When? |
| 졸음 주의 | caution: drowsiness | What should I watch for? |

This lesson is language practice, not medical advice. Medicine instructions vary. Follow the exact label and the instructions from your doctor or pharmacist.

## The real moment: your explanation was faster than your reading

At a Korean pharmacy, you may receive a box, bottle, packet, or divided paper pouches. Several numbers can appear close together, so scan for labels before reading every line.

**복용** means taking medicine, **용법** means directions for use, **용량** means dose or amount, and **주의** signals a caution. Most importantly, **1회** points to one dose while **1일** points to the whole day.

## Read the label in four passes

Use the same order every time:

1. Find **1회** for the amount taken at one time.

2. Find **1일** for the number of times in one day.

3. Find a time word such as **식전**, **식후**, or **취침 전**.

4. Find **주의** for a caution.

> 1회 1정 / 1일 3회 / 식후 복용
> One tablet each time / three times a day / take after a meal

Read the slashes as separate information boxes. Do not combine the two number phrases into "three tablets at once."

## Find the amount after 1회

**회** counts occurrences or times. On a medicine label, **1회** usually points to one occasion of taking the medicine. Look just after it for the amount.

| Korean pattern | What to notice | Language meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1회 1정 | 정 counts tablets | one tablet each time |
| 1회 2정 | the amount changed to two | two tablets each time |
| 1회 1포 | 포 counts packets or pouches | one packet each time |
| 1회 5mL | a liquid amount follows | 5 mL each time |

**정** is a common counter for tablets. **포** is used for a packet or pouch. A liquid may show **mL** instead of a Korean counter.

Circle the word after **1회**; it fills the amount box.

## Find the daily frequency after 1일

**일** means "day" in this pattern. A phrase such as **1일 3회** means three times in one day.

| Label | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| 1일 1회 | once a day |
| 1일 2회 | twice a day |
| 1일 3회 | three times a day |

Keep the two chunks separate:

- **1회 1정**: one tablet each time

- **1일 3회**: three times during the day

A test question may place both expressions in the same short text. Check whether the answer choice asks "how much each time" or "how many times a day." The Korean words **회** and **일** tell you which number matters.

## Find the time word

Time instructions are short, but you should not guess them from habit. Official Korean drug-safety guidance notes that medicine use times differ and that patients should follow the time recommended by a doctor or pharmacist.

| Korean | Word parts | Language meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 식전 | 식, meal + 전, before | before a meal |
| 식후 | 식, meal + 후, after | after a meal |
| 식사와 함께 | together with a meal | with food |
| 취침 전 | before going to sleep | at bedtime |
| 매일 같은 시간 | the same time every day | at a consistent daily time |

**전** and **후** also appear in schedules, notices, and travel information. Learning them from a medicine label helps with other TOPIK I texts too.

Never replace the printed instruction with a rule you remember from another medicine. If the timing is not clear, ask the pharmacist.

## Read the warning as a separate message

A warning often contains **주의**, "caution." Treat it as a separate message rather than part of the dose.

| Warning phrase | Useful reading meaning |
| --- | --- |
| 졸음 주의 | caution: may cause drowsiness |
| 운전 주의 | caution about driving |
| 어린이 손이 닿지 않는 곳 | a place children cannot reach |
| 사용기한 확인 | check the use-by date |
| 지시사항대로 복용 | take as directed |

You are not deciding whether the warning applies to every medicine. You are recognizing what the printed Korean says on the item in front of you.

In a TOPIK-style short text, a warning can control the correct answer. If one choice says "Drive immediately" but the label says **운전 주의**, the words do not match.

## Try three short reading questions

Read the label, then find only the clue that answers the question.

- **Label A: 1회 2정 / 1일 2회 / 식후.** How many tablets per dose? **Two.**

- **Label B: 1회 1포 / 1일 3회 / 식전.** When is it taken? **Before a meal.**

- **Label C: 1회 1정 / 취침 전 / 졸음 주의.** What caution appears? **Drowsiness.**

You did not need a full translation. The question told you which information box mattered.

## Use a 20-second TOPIK routine

Underline the information target, box **1회**, **1일**, the time word, and **주의**, then ignore numbers that do not answer the question. Before choosing, check that you did not confuse **전** and **후**. This clue-first habit also works with schedules, tickets, and store notices.

## Ask the pharmacist when the label is unclear

Reading the label is useful, but confirming the instructions is safer. These short questions can help:

| Korean | Natural English |
| --- | --- |
| 언제 먹어요? | When do I take it? |
| 한 번에 몇 알 먹어요? | How many pills do I take at once? |
| 하루에 몇 번 먹어요? | How many times a day do I take it? |
| 식전이에요, 식후예요? | Is it before or after a meal? |
| 졸릴 수 있어요? | Could it make me drowsy? |

In conversation, **알** and **하루** often do the jobs that **정** and **1일** do in print. If you are unsure, show the label so the pharmacist can point to the exact line.

## Keep the reading skill and the medical decision separate

Remember the four-part scan:

> **1회 → 1일 → 시간 → 주의**

On a TOPIK page, it finds the needed clue. At a pharmacy, it finds the line to confirm with the pharmacist.

For the site tree, see the [root Markdown](https://easykoreanchat.com/.md).