痂
scab, dry up, slough
Strokes10
Readings
On'yomi
- カ
- ケ
Kun'yomi
- かさ
- かさ.ぶた
Meaning
痂 centers on the hardened crust that forms over a healing wound: a scab. The related senses of drying up and sloughing off describe the natural progression of a scab as it dries and eventually falls away.
Most common words using 痂
Study
Etymology
痂 combines 疒 (sickness) with 加, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest the idea of something added or attached to the skin, like a scab forming over a wound.
Meaning mnemonic
The sickness enclosure 疒 surrounds 加 (add). Picture a wound adding a protective crust: a scab that dries up and eventually sloughs off.
Reading mnemonic
For カ, imagine a car with a scab-like patch of rust on its door: car -> カ, and the rust patch dries up and flakes away like a scab.