1206/2000
JLPT: N1
School Grade: Junior high school
This character is a combination of 串 a non-general use character meaning skewer/pierce and 心 heart/feelings. 串 is a phonetic element signaling the on’yomi, but is also lending its own meaning of “pierce.” With 心 this gives “pierced heart,” meaning to “grieve.” Over time 患 came to mean “be afflicted” in a broad sense, and is now mainly associated with illness and disease.















