How to Write 疾 (jí) — Meaning “disease”

Imagine a sick person lying on a bed (the radical 疒) who has been hit by an arrow (矢) — this sudden injury causes a disease. The arrow also reminds you that 疾 can mean 'fast' or 'swift' in other contexts. This visual trick links the shape to both the illness and speed meanings.

Write the radical 疒 first with two dots on top, then a left-falling stroke. Then add the right side 矢: a horizontal stroke, left-falling, dot, left-falling, and finally a na stroke. A common mistake is making the arrow component too big or misplacing the dot inside 矢 — keep the right side compact and balanced below the illness radical.

The key difference is the right-side component: 疾 has 矢 (arrow), 疙 has 乞 (beg), and 疚 has 久 (long time). Meaning-wise, 疾 refers to disease or speed, 疙 means a pimple or lump on skin, and 疚 means remorse or guilt. Always check the inner part to tell them apart visually.

疾 appears in formal words like 疾病 (disease) and 残疾 (disability), and in expressions meaning 'fast' such as 疾走 (to run fast) or 疾风 (strong wind). In traditional Chinese medicine, 疾 often refers to acute illnesses that come suddenly, while 病 is used for chronic conditions. A famous idiom is 疾风知劲草, meaning a strong wind reveals tough grass — a metaphor for testing resilience.

Common words containing 疾 include: 疾病 (jí bìng) — disease; 疾走 (jí zǒu) — to run fast; 残疾 (cán jí) — disability; physical handicap.