胱
bladder
Readings
On'yomi
- コウ
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
胱 refers specifically to the bladder, the organ that stores urine.
Most common words using 胱
- 膀胱ぼうこう
urinary bladder; urinary cyst; vesica urinaria; bladder
- 人工膀胱じんこうぼうこう
artificial bladder; artificial urinary bladder
- 急性膀胱炎きゅうせいぼうこうえん
acute cystitis
- 膀胱括約筋ぼうこうかつやくきん
sphincter muscle of urinary bladder
- 膀胱炎ぼうこうえん
cystitis; inflammation of the bladder
- 膀胱癌ぼうこうがん
bladder cancer
- 膀胱結石ぼうこうけっせき
bladder stone; vesical calculus; cystolith
- 膀胱造影ぼうこうぞうえい
cystography; cystogram
- 膀胱鏡ぼうこうきょう
cystoscope
Study
Etymology
胱 combines the flesh radical ⺼ (body part) with 光, which likely provides the sound コウ. The character was created to name the bladder as a bodily organ.
Meaning mnemonic
The flesh radical ⺼ signals a body part, and 光 (light) suggests something that fills and empties like a container. Imagine the bladder as a fleshy pouch that holds liquid until it's time to release it.
Reading mnemonic
For コウ, picture a bladder glowing with light (光) as it fills: the light cues コウ, and the flesh radical reminds you it's a body part.