癞 (lài): scabies; mange

Meanings

池塘边蹲着一只癞蛤蟆。

Chítáng biān dūn zhe yì zhī làiháma.

There was a toad squatting by the pond.

那只流浪狗身上生了癞。

Nà zhī liúlànggǒu shēnshang shēng le lài.

The stray dog had a patch of mange.

usage

Very common in 癞蛤蟆 (toad — literally 'scabby toad', from its warty skin). The bare character refers to mange or scaly skin disease in animals.

radical

疒 nè

sickness

The sickness radical 疒 wraps the top-left. It marks 癞 as a skin disease, alongside 疮 (ulcer) and 疥 (scabies).

phonetic

赖 lài

to rely on; phonetic

Inside sits 赖 supplying the sound exactly (lài = lài). The same phonetic anchors 懒 (lazy) and 濑 (rapids).

癞 lài