Definitions

sào itch; old term for scabies; Taiwan pr. [sāo]

Etymology phono-semantic

sickness

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character denotes itching or an irritating skin condition, employed primarily in medical and dermatological contexts. As a standard phono-semantic compound, it is framed by the radical , which indicates diseases and medical symptoms, thereby anchoring the character within the vocabulary of health and pathology. The enclosed component means 'flea' and mainly provides the sound, but its association with the intense itching caused by flea bites adds a resonant semantic layer. The character appears predominantly in the compound 瘙痒 (sàoyǎng), the clinical term for pruritus.