How to Write 癞 (lài) — Meaning “leprosy; scabies”

Imagine a person who is very "lazy" (赖 sounds like "lazy") and never washes, so they get a skin sickness (疒) — that is 癞 (lài). You can also think of a "lying" person covered in sores, since "lai" sounds like "lie."

First write the left radical 疒: dot, horizontal, left-falling, vertical, dot. Then write the right side 赖, which starts with the left part 束 (horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, vertical, left-slanting, dot) and ends with 负 (slanted hook, horizontal, horizontal, vertical). A common mistake is making the 疒 radical too large — keep it slim, and ensure the right side is balanced and wider.

All three share the 疒 radical, but their right sides differ: 癞 uses 赖 (lài), 瘭 uses 票 (piào), and 瘰 uses 累 (lěi). Meaning-wise, 癞 refers to leprosy or scabies, 瘭 means a painful finger infection (whitlow), and 瘰 is a swelling in the neck (scrofula). Visually, 癞 has a more complex right side with many strokes, while 瘭 has a simpler, taller component.

癞 is rare in daily speech and mostly appears in set words like 癞蛤蟆 (toad) and 癞皮狗 (mangy dog). Culturally, the phrase "癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉" (a toad wanting to eat swan meat) is a common idiom for someone with unrealistic desires. The character itself can carry a derogatory tone, so use it carefully.

Common words containing 癞 include: 癞蛤蟆 (lài há ma) — toad; 癞子 (lài zi) — person with leprosy or ringworm; 癞皮狗 (lài pí gǒu) — mangy dog.