Only with reading ふうてん
Sensitive, dated term for mental illness or a mentally ill person. Modern usage is rare and may be considered offensive; 精神疾患 or 精神病 is preferred in clinical contexts.
Often used in the phrase フーテンの寅さん, referring to the wandering protagonist of the film series. Carries a nuance of a carefree, aimless drifter.
The word 瘋癲 often appears in old novels.
He travels all over Japan like a vagabond.
mental hospital; lunatic asylum; madhouse
Rare kanji spelling; the word is more commonly written in kana. The kanji 瘋 and 癲 are not in the Jōyō list.
Katakana spelling, often associated with the vagabond sense (e.g., フーテンの寅さん).
Common hiragana spelling for both senses.
The kanji 瘋癲 literally mean 'wind illness' and 'crazy', reflecting traditional Chinese medical concepts. The reading ふうてん is the on'yomi. The vagabond sense likely developed from the idea of a 'crazy' or eccentric wanderer.