Need most common used english term for a shop selling medicine

[BurningOrca]

If I use Google Translator to translate "Apotheke", a shop that offers a medicine, from german to english I get the following 4 suggestions:
pharmacy
drugstore
chemist's and
chemist's store

Currently I've went with drugstore, but google translator tells me pharmacy is more common. I always thought pharmacy is just the term for the branch of companies which create medicine, but not for shops selling it.

Now I thought it is better to ask natives about which term is more common and which one I should use in my game?

 

[NarutoButUchiha]

Im not native but i guess drugstore and pharmacy are most common, and the only difference beetwen them are where they are used (Great Britain / America)

 

[Starbird_Resources]

Chemist's is exclusively British. Here in the US pharmacy is most commonly used while drugstore is sort of an older term (it feels very 90s to me).

Pharmaceuticals is the word for the field of companies that invent and produce medicines.

 

[ScorchedGround]

I'm pretty sure you want to go with pharmacy out of all of them.

 

[fusserhi]

I am British, your looking for pharmacy

 

[ShadowDragon]

Pharmacy is far the best choice and common for most english people.
or if placed on a sign "Medic" or a red Plus to reconize as a medicine store.

 

[fluffymonster]

Pharmacy is probably most common, though companies often completely omit the name, since people like to specialize in multiple things (such as RiteAid or Omnicare). From the sounds of it, you can use helpful terms such as aid or care to make the company, business, etc. sound softer and more approachable, but it's all dependent on your vision for the character, story, and so on.

 

[turbobumblepuppy]

What year is your game set? 'Chemist's' is what a modern British person would say, or 'Drugstore' if they want to sound hip and American, but it isn't used so often. You can say 'Pharmacy' too, but it sounds more clinical. For medieval times, 'Apothecary' is also possible, and quite atmospheric, but it has an idea of being connected with alchemy.

 

[gothicvoid]

apothecary

 

[EthanFox]

What year is your game set?

Yeah, OP - this is really important, because the terms Pharmacy, Chemist and Drugstore are modern terms.

If your game is set in a fantasy realm, Healer (for someone who actively heals people) or Apothecary are the closest terms. Some games will use terms like "Potion Vendor" or similar, too.

 

[BurningOrca]

Well fantasy realm, but also past 2020, as they have cellphones and other technical stuff.
As most people suggested to use pharmacy I will go with that.
Apothecary would be more close to the german word.

Edit: Also thank you all! What I also learned from this thread: Never trust google. translator, even it got way better over time. The online dictionary of my choice would have listed me all alternatives with remarks about american/british and old. It would have also listed apothecary. Next time I look for an english term I will use it instead.

 

[MushroomCake28]

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