How to Write 痲 (má) — Meaning “numbness; leprosy”

Imagine a person lying in a hospital bed (radical 疒) covered in rough hemp cloth (麻) that makes their skin feel totally numb. The "sickness" radical plus the "hemp" component can remind you that 痲 is about a numbing illness.

The left radical 疒 is written first as a wide shelter: dot, horizontal stroke, then left-falling stroke with a small hook. Inside, 麻 must be centered and compact; a common mistake is making the 麻 too tall or wide, which ruins the balance. Keep the overall shape vertically stretched but not crowded.

痲 uses the component 麻 (hemp) and means numbness or leprosy. 疵 has the radical 疒 plus 此 (this) and means a small defect or blemish. 痊 also uses 疒 but with 全 (complete) and means to recover from illness. Visually, 痲 has the complex 麻 inside, while 疵 has 此 and 痊 has 全.

痲 is commonly seen in medical words like 痲痹 (paralysis), 痲木 (numbness), and 痲疹 (measles). It is not used in everyday conversation alone, but these compound words appear in health and medical contexts. Culturally, 痲疹 is a well-known childhood disease, and 痲痹 is used both physically and metaphorically to mean being paralyzed or desensitized.

Common words containing 痲 include: 痲痺 (má bì) — paralysis; numbness; 痲木 (má mù) — numb; insensitive; 痲疹 (má zhěn) — measles.