Skip to content
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
痾 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
痾kēsickness, illness; painx, 12 strokes, radical 疒
kē(ke1)ke T1
  1. 1sickness, illness; pain
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

痾kē(ke1)

The character 痾 (kē) refers to sickness or illness, particularly focusing on ailments associated with pain. It is often used in medical contexts or discussions about health, indicating a condition of discomfort or disease.

Strokes12Radical疒
Cultural Note

In traditional Chinese medicine, understanding specific terms for different types of illness, such as 痾, reflects the holistic approach to health that emphasizes not just symptoms but the overall balance of physical and emotional well-being.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person (the character 痾) holding their stomach in pain, representing illness. The left side of the character (疒) looks like a hospital bed, while the right side (可) can be remembered as someone saying 'I can’t' because of their sickness.

Meanings of 痾

kē(ke1)
1sickness, illness; pain
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 痾 means.

About 痾

痾Simplified
12Strokes
疒Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 痾

JasonAmy

Podcast: 痾

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 痾

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 痾 with other similar characters that pertain to health, such as 病 (bìng) which means disease. 痾 is more specific to pain-related ailments, making it more formal in medical discussions.

HSK Study Tips

Although 痾 is not an HSK level word, it can relate to HSK Level 5 health vocabulary such as 疼 (téng), meaning pain. Students should focus on recognizing its context in conversations about health.

Common Mistakes

Learners might confuse 痾 with 病 (bìng), which is more general and less focused on pain. For example, saying '我有病' (wǒ yǒu bìng) is correct, but saying '我有痾' (wǒ yǒu kē) is not typically used.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 痾

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 痾 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Jason Explains 痾 to You

Let me explain 痾 for you

Make it yours

Jason looks at what you watch and listen to, the checkpoints you have cleared, our lessons and what you have been exploring, and explains 痾 through them.

Sign in free to make it personal. New accounts start with 300 AI credits.

How Well Do You Know 痾?

Example

Learning Lab

Knowing 痾 is seven skills, not one.

Its meaning, its character, its pinyin, its tone — hearing it, saying it, writing it. The Learning Lab measures each one from your own practice, on every word you study, so you see what you actually know rather than how much you have done.

  • MeaningFree
  • CharacterFree
  • PinyinFree
  • TonePro
  • ListeningPro
  • SpeakingPro
  • WritingPro
See the Learning Lab Three facets free · no card needed

Etymology of 痾

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

sickness

Semantic (meaning)疒
+
Phonetic (sound)阿
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

痾 = 疒 + 阿. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 痾

IDS Structure⿸疒阿
痾Full Character
=
疒ne4
enclosing
阿A1
inner
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 痾?

How to say sickness, illness; pain in Chinese

“sickness, illness; pain” in Chinese is痾kē

The character 痾 (kē) refers to sickness or illness, particularly focusing on ailments associated with pain. It is often used in medical contexts or discussions about health, indicating a condition of discomfort or disease.

When to use 痾

Be careful not to confuse 痾 with other similar characters that pertain to health, such as 病 (bìng) which means disease. 痾 is more specific to pain-related ailments, making it more formal in medical discussions.

What learners get wrong

Learners might confuse 痾 with 病 (bìng), which is more general and less focused on pain. For example, saying '我有病' (wǒ yǒu bìng) is correct, but saying '我有痾' (wǒ yǒu kē) is not typically used.

Write 痾

痾

Practice writing 痾 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Ask Jason

Have a question about 痾?

Jason answers about this word at your level: example sentences, how it differs from similar words, and a way to remember it.

Sign in free to ask. New accounts start with 300 AI credits.

Word Family of 痾

Words Containing This Character2
沉疴grave disease沉痾
疴kēdisease痾
Exercise 1 of 2

Words with 痾

What does 沉疴 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 痾

While both refer to illness, 痾 emphasizes pain associated with the sickness, whereas 疾病 is a more general term for disease.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 痾?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.

A sample week, replayed. Every page you study lands here in the order you did it — your own replay starts with a free account.

See the Learning Lab