cripple; lame person
Dated and now considered a sensitive, derogatory term for a person with a physical disability affecting walking. Modern Japanese prefers neutral terms such as 身体障害者 or 足の不自由な人.
The term 跛者 appears in old documents, but it is now considered discriminatory.
Common polite expression for a person with a leg disability; 跛者 is a dated, offensive equivalent.
Compound of 跛 (ha, 'lame') and 者 (sha, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning.