How to Write 癍 (bān) — Meaning “skin spot; macula”

Imagine a person with a skin rash (疒) who has many spots that look like a pattern of dots (斑, which itself contains 文 for pattern and 王 for jade — think of spotty jade). So 癍 is a skin illness that shows up as a spotted rash.

Write the radical 疒 first: a dot on top, then a horizontal stroke with a left fall; it should be slightly wider than the right part. The right side 斑 has a balanced structure: first write 文 (with a cross and a left-falling stroke), then 王 (three horizontals and a vertical), keeping the whole character compact and even in height.

癍 specifically refers to flat skin spots or maculae (like age spots or rash marks). 瘛 (chì) means a muscle twitch or convulsion, often in the context of convulsive diseases. 瘜 (xī) refers to a polyp or growth on a mucous membrane, like a nasal polyp. Their meanings and radicals differ in usage.

癍 appears in medical terms like 癍疹 (rash) and 汗癍 (heat rash), usually describing visible skin discolorations. It is not a common daily character; you will mostly see it in dermatology reports or traditional Chinese medicine texts. Chinese medicine often associates 癍 with heat or dampness toxins in the body.

Common words containing 癍 include: 癍疹 (bān zhěn) — skin rash; petechia; 汗癍 (hàn bān) — sweat spots; 癍子 (bān zi) — spots; maculae.