stinging nettle (Urtica thunbergiana)
A specific species of nettle native to East Asia, known for its stinging hairs. Usually written in kana in modern Japanese.
I touched a stinging nettle on the mountain trail and my hand got itchy.
Be careful because stinging nettles hurt when you touch them.
じんましん (hives) shares the character 蕁 with the archaic spelling 蕁麻, but refers to a skin condition rather than the plant itself.
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
Obsolete kanji form; also read じんま or おいら in older texts.
Kanji spelling using 刺 (thorn) and 草 (grass); rarely used in modern writing.
The reading いらくさ is of native Japanese origin, likely from いら (thorn, sting) + くさ (grass). The kanji 刺草 directly reflect this meaning. The form 蕁麻 is a Chinese-derived spelling, with 蕁 referring to nettles and 麻 to hemp-like plants.