noun
hangnail
A small piece of torn skin near a fingernail or toenail. Often painful and can become inflamed. The synonym ささくれ is also common.
See also: ささくれ
指にさかむけができて痛い。
I have a hangnail on my finger and it hurts.
さかむけを無理に引っ張ると血が出るよ。
If you pull on a hangnail too hard, it will bleed.
ささくれ is a near-synonym also meaning hangnail or splinter of skin; さかむけ is slightly more specific to the torn skin around nails, while ささくれ can also refer to splinters or rough edges on wood or other materials.
Compound of 逆 (saka, 'reverse, against') and むけ (muke, from 剥ける, 'to peel'). Literally 'reverse peeling', referring to skin that peels back against the natural direction.