瘡
か
さ
Meanings
1
pustule; scab; skin eruption
Refers to a pus-filled blister or the crust that forms over a healing sore. Often used in older or medical descriptions; in everyday language, more specific terms like できもの or かさぶた are common.
Old documents describe treatments for pustules and skin eruptions.
A sore has formed and it hurts.
2
syphilis; pox
Archaic or historical term for syphilis or similar venereal diseases. Now replaced by modern medical terms like 梅毒 (ばいどく).
In the Edo period, syphilis was a dreaded disease.
Expressions
- 癩の瘡うらみexcessive envy of someone in a similar situation; envy of a leper's pockmarks