Skip to content
Kotomora

疳

children's diseases

Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • カン

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

疳 centers on childhood ailments, especially chronic digestive or nutritional disorders. The meaning is narrow and refers specifically to children's diseases.

Most common words using 疳

  • 下疳げかん

    chancre

  • 疳かん

    infantile neurosis characterized by crying at night and convulsions

  • 疳の虫かんのむし

    convulsions (in a child); nervousness; short-temperedness

  • 軟性下疳なんせいげかん

    soft chancre

Explore all words using 疳 →

Study

Etymology

疳 combines the sickness radical 疒 with 甘, which likely contributes the sound カン. The character was created to name a specific category of childhood illness.

Meaning mnemonic

The sickness enclosure 疒 wraps around 甘 (sweet). Picture a child with a chronic illness who can only stomach sweet, bland foods.

Reading mnemonic

For カン, imagine a can of sweet medicine given to a sick child: can -> カン, and the sweet taste 甘 inside the sickness 疒 helps the child recover.