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Kotomora

病

ill, sick

JLPTN4StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 500Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • ビョウ
  • ヘイ

Kun'yomi

  • や.む
  • -や.み
  • やまい

Meaning

病 centers on a state of physical or mental unwellness: being ill or sick.

Most common words using 病

24 of 575
  • 病院びょういん
    N5

    hospital; clinic; doctor's office; doctor's surgery; infirmary

  • 病気びょうき
    N5

    illness (usu. excluding minor ailments, e.g. common cold); disease; sickness

  • 病やまい
    N1

    illness; disease

  • 病むやむ
    N2

    to fall ill

  • うつ病うつびょう
    N1

    depression

  • 病棟びょうとう

    (hospital) ward

  • 臆病おくびょう
    N2

    cowardly; timid; easily frightened

  • 疾病しっぺい

    illness; disease

  • 病人びょうにん
    N1

    sick person; patient; invalid

  • 白血病はっけつびょう

    leukemia; leukaemia

  • 難病なんびょう

    serious disease; intractable disease; difficult-to-recover-from illness

  • 病状びょうじょう
    N1

    condition of a patient; state of a disease; pathology

  • 性病せいびょう

    sexually transmitted disease; STD; sexually transmitted infection; STI; venereal disease; VD

  • 持病じびょう
    N1

    chronic disease; chronic illness; old complaint

  • 看病かんびょう
    N2

    nursing (a patient)

  • 病理びょうり

    pathology

  • 疫病えきびょう

    epidemic; plague; pestilence

  • 病室びょうしつ
    N1

    sickroom; hospital room; ward

  • 闘病とうびょう

    fighting against an illness

  • 病名びょうめい

    name of a disease

  • 病床びょうしょう

    sickbed; (hospital) bed

  • 病死びょうし
    N1

    death from disease; death from illness

  • 病弱びょうじゃく
    N1

    weak (constitution); sickly; feeble; in poor health

  • 発病はつびょう
    N1

    onset of an illness; falling ill

Explore all words using 病 →

Study

Etymology

病 combines the sickness radical 疒 with 丙, which likely contributes a phonetic element. The character has long been associated with illness.

Meaning mnemonic

The sickness enclosure 疒 wraps around 丙, like a person confined to bed with an illness.

Reading mnemonic

For ビョウ, imagine a sick person lying in bed, and the doctor says 'Be well' — 'Be well' sounds like ビョウ, and you wish them recovery from illness.