爛
be sore, inflamed, bleary, fester
Readings
On'yomi
- ラン
Kun'yomi
- ただ.れる
Meaning
爛 centers on tissue breaking down from injury or disease: being sore, inflamed, or festering. The bleary sense extends this to eyes that are red and irritated as if inflamed.
Most common words using 爛
- 絢爛けんらん
gorgeous; brilliant; dazzling; ornate; gaudy; flowery
- 天真爛漫てんしんらんまん
innocent; naive; artless; unaffected; genuine; childlike
- 爛漫らんまん
in full bloom; in full glory; glorious; luxuriant; splendid
- 爛れただれ
sore; inflammation; ulceration
- 爛々らんらん
glaring; flaming; fiery; blazing
- 糜爛びらん
sore; erosion; ulceration; abscess; decomposition (of a body)
- 春爛漫はるらんまん
spring in full bloom; spring at its height
- 桜花爛漫おうからんまん
riot of cherry blossoms
- 燦爛さんらん
brilliant; bright; radiant
- 爛らん
brilliant; bright
- 爛らかすただらかす
to cause to be inflamed
- 爛れるただれる
to be sore; to be inflamed; to be bleary; to fester
- 爛柯らんか
go (board game)
- 爛死らんし
burning to death
- 爛熟らんじゅく
overripeness
- 爛熟期らんじゅくき
one's full maturity
- 絢爛華麗けんらんかれい
luxurious and gorgeous; splendid; dazzling; magnificent
- 絢爛豪華けんらんごうか
luxurious and gorgeous; splendid; dazzling
- 膿み爛れるうみただれる
to fester
- 豪華絢爛ごうかけんらん
luxurious and gorgeous; magnificent
Study
Etymology
爛 combines 火 (fire) with 闌, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of something spreading or breaking down. The character suggests tissue breaking down as if burned or inflamed.
Meaning mnemonic
Fire 火 on the left and the complex 闌 on the right suggest a wound that feels like it is burning and spreading. Picture a sore that becomes inflamed and festers, as if fire is trapped inside.
Reading mnemonic
For ラン, imagine a runner with a festering sore that makes them run awkwardly: run -> ラン, and the inflamed wound burns like fire.