癇
bitter, hot temper, irritable, nervous
Readings
On'yomi
- カン
Kun'yomi
- ひきつけ
Meaning
癇 centers on an irritable, nervous state that can flare into a hot temper or bitter feeling. The convulsion reading ひきつけ extends this to a physical nervous spasm.
Most common words using 癇
- 癲癇てんかん
epilepsy; epileptic fit
- 癇癪かんしゃく
temper; irritability; fit of anger; tantrum (esp. of children); temper tantrum
- 癇かん
temper; nerves
- ジャクソン癲癇ジャクソンてんかん
Jacksonian epilepsy
- 光過敏性癲癇ひかりかびんせいてんかん
photosensitive epilepsy
- 外傷性癲癇がいしょうせいてんかん
traumatic epilepsy
- 子癇しかん
eclampsia
- 子癇前症しかんぜんしょう
preeclampsia
- 癇に障るかんにさわる
to irritate; to offend; to provoke; to get on one's nerves
- 癇の強いかんのつよい
irritable
- 癇性かんしょう
irritability; peevishness; irascibility; hot temper
- 癇癖かんぺき
short temper
- 癇癪を起こすかんしゃくをおこす
to lose one's temper; to throw a tantrum; to fly into a rage
- 癇癪持ちかんしゃくもち
hot-tempered person
- 癲癇持ちてんかんもち
(an) epileptic
Study
Etymology
癇 combines the sickness radical 疒 with 閒, which likely contributes the sound カン and may suggest a confined, agitated state. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The sickness enclosure 疒 wraps around 閒, which looks like a gate 門 with a sun 日 inside. Picture a person trapped behind a gate in the hot sun, becoming increasingly irritable and bitter until their temper boils over.
Reading mnemonic
For カン, imagine a can of bitter, hot-tempered nerves shaking under pressure: can -> カン, and the can is about to burst from the irritable heat inside.