胆い

noun

gallbladder; liver

Anatomical term for the gallbladder; also used in traditional contexts to refer to the liver or the concept of 'innards'. In modern medical Japanese, 胆嚢 (たんのう) is more common for gallbladder, and 肝臓 (かんぞう) for liver. This reading い is rare and mostly found in classical or compound words.

• 「胆い」という字じは、昔むかしは肝かん臓ぞうや胆たん嚢のうを指さすことがあった。

  The character 胆 used to refer to the liver or gallbladder in the past.