くる病びょう

く

る

びょ

う

Meanings

noun

rickets; rachitis

medicine

Medical term for the childhood bone disease caused by vitamin D deficiency.

くる病びょうはビタミンD不ぶ足そくで起おこる。
Rickets occurs due to vitamin D deficiency.
昔むかしは日本にほんでもくる病びょうが多おおかった。
In the past, rickets was common in Japan as well.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

病ill, sick
佝foolish, stooped over
僂bend over
痀crouch, hunchback
瘻fistula

Related words

骨こつ軟なん化か症しょう
Osteomalacia, the adult equivalent of rickets; both involve softening of bones due to vitamin D deficiency.

Written forms

くる病びょう
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling for rickets.
クル病びょう
Katakana variant of the first part; less common but seen in medical contexts.
佝く僂る病びょう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; the first two characters are uncommon.
痀く瘻る病びょう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; the first two characters are uncommon.

Etymology

The term くる (kuru) is of uncertain origin, possibly from a mimetic word describing a bent or crooked state. The kanji 佝僂 and 痀瘻 are ateji assigned later for their meanings related to hunchback or rickets.