瘭
whitlow
Strokes16
Readings
On'yomi
- ヒョウ
Kun'yomi
- はれもの
Meaning
瘭 refers to a whitlow, a painful infection around a fingernail or toenail. The meaning is specific and medical, with no broader conceptual cluster.
Study
Etymology
瘭 combines the sickness radical 疒 with 票, which likely provides the sound ヒョウ. The character was created to name a specific medical condition.
Meaning mnemonic
The sickness enclosure 疒 surrounds 票, like an infection wrapping around a finger. Picture a whitlow as a painful swelling trapped under the skin.
Reading mnemonic
For ヒョウ, imagine a whitlow so painful it makes you shout 'hyow!' — a sharp, involuntary cry that matches the reading ヒョウ.