noun
Medical term for a painful infection at the fingertip, often around the nail. The reading ひょうそう is a common variant.
指先が赤く腫れて痛むので病院に行ったら、ひょう疽と診断された。
My fingertip was red, swollen, and painful, so I went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a whitlow.
ひょう疽は早めに治療しないと悪化することがある。
A felon can worsen if not treated early.
Alternate kanji form using 瘭; less common than ひょう疽.
Kana spelling is practical for learners and in contexts where the kanji are obscure.
Paronychia, an infection around the nail fold, which is broader than a whitlow (ひょう疽) that specifically affects the fingertip pulp.
The term is composed of kanji meaning 'abscess' (疽) and a character (ひょう/瘭) that specifically refers to a whitlow. The reading ひょうそう is a common variant, likely influenced by the on'yomi of 瘭.