漆うるしかぶれ

う

る

し

か

ぶ

れ

Meanings

noun

urushiol-induced contact dermatitis; poison ivy rash; lacquer rash

medicine›

Medical term for skin inflammation caused by contact with urushiol, the allergenic oil in poison ivy, poison oak, and the Japanese lacquer tree (漆). Commonly called 漆かぶれ in everyday Japanese.

Kanji

漆lacquer, varnish, seven
瘡wound, boil, syphilis

Related words

かぶれ
General term for any rash or skin irritation, not specific to urushiol.
ウルシオール
The chemical compound urushiol that causes the allergic reaction.

Written forms

漆うるしかぶれ
Standard modern spelling using かぶれ for the rash.
漆瘡うるしかぶれ
Rare variant using 瘡 (sores).
漆瘡うるしかぶれ
Abbreviated rare variant; may be encountered in older medical texts.

Etymology

Compound of 漆 (urushi, 'lacquer tree') and かぶれ (kabure, 'rash, skin irritation'). The term directly describes the rash caused by contact with the lacquer tree's sap.