Meaning
傷 means wound, injury, or hurt. That covers physical damage — cuts, bruises, lacerations, scars — and emotional pain: heartbreak, grief, the sting of a cutting remark. One character, two worlds.
Structurally, 傷 pairs the 人 (亻) radical on the left — a person — with a right-side component that historically depicted a mark or wound on flesh. Read together: a person who bears a wound. That human element anchors both sides of the experience: wounds are inflicted by people and felt by people.
13 strokes, grade 8. Japanese students encounter it around junior high. JLPT N1 reflects its density in formal registers — literature, legal writing, medical terminology. Simple words like 傷 surface in everyday speech; the figurative compound words take more exposure to absorb.
Past the literal, 傷 carries real emotional weight. Grief (感傷), a broken heart (傷心), wounding someone with words — all captured by the same character. Japanese literature leans hard on wound and scar imagery. It marks hardship endured, old trauma that hasn't let go, time moving in only one direction.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is ショウ (shō), from Middle Chinese, used mainly in compound words (熟語, jukugo). It appears most in formal writing: medical reports, legal filings, literary prose. Less common in casual speech — but once you're reading Japanese at an intermediate level, it turns up constantly.
- 負傷 (fushō) — sustaining an injury; being wounded (military, sports, and accident contexts)
- 重傷 (jūshō) — serious injury; a grave wound requiring urgent care
- 軽傷 (keishō) — minor injury; light wound not requiring hospitalization
- 傷害 (shōgai) — bodily injury; harm (legal term: 傷害罪, assault causing bodily harm)
- 感傷 (kanshō) — sentimentality; melancholy tinged with nostalgia
- 損傷 (sonshō) — damage; structural or material deterioration
- 傷心 (shōshin) — heartbreak; a broken heart
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
Four kun'yomi readings, each with a distinct grammatical role:
きず (kizu) — noun. The everyday reading: wound, scratch, scar, or blemish. Works literally (a cut on the hand) and figuratively (a flaw in someone's character, a scratch on a car door).
- 傷口 (kizuguchi) — the opening of a wound; a gash or laceration
- 傷跡 (kizuato) — scar; the permanent mark left after healing
- 古傷 (furukizu) — old wound; old scar (also used for unresolved past trauma)
- 無傷 (mukizu) — unscathed; without a scratch
いた.む (itamu) — intransitive verb: to hurt, ache, or feel pain. The subject is the one suffering. Also applies to damaged objects or food that's gone bad.
いた.める (itameru) — transitive verb: to hurt or damage something. Here the subject does the harming.
いた.ましい (itamashii) — adjective: pitiful, tragic, heart-rending. Used for scenes so distressing they pull at the observer's heart.
Common Words & Compounds
傷 compounds span medical, legal, emotional, and everyday registers. Grouped by theme:
Physical Wounds and Injuries:
- 切り傷 (kirikizu) — cut wound; incision from a blade
- 擦り傷 (surikizu) — abrasion; scrape from falling
- 刺し傷 (sashikizu) — stab wound; puncture wound
- 打ち傷 (uchikizu) — bruise; contusion from a blow
- 傷口 (kizuguchi) — wound opening; site of a cut
- 傷跡 (kizuato) — scar remaining after healing
Severity and Status of Injury:
- 重傷 (jūshō) — serious or severe injury
- 軽傷 (keishō) — minor or light injury
- 負傷 (fushō) — being wounded; sustaining injury
- 無傷 (mukizu) — uninjured; completely unharmed
Emotional and Psychological Damage:
- 傷心 (shōshin) — heartbreak; a broken heart
- 感傷 (kanshō) — sentimentality; wistful nostalgia tinged with sadness
- 傷つく (kizutsuku) — to get hurt emotionally or physically
- 傷つける (kizutsukeru) — to wound or hurt someone
Legal and Structural Damage:
- 傷害 (shōgai) — bodily injury; harm (criminal law)
- 損傷 (sonshō) — damage; structural or material deterioration
- 古傷 (furukizu) — old unresolved issue; past trauma reopened
Example Sentences
膝に小さな傷がある。
Hiza ni chiisana kizu ga aru.
There is a small wound on my knee.
彼は交通事故で重傷を負った。
Kare wa kōtsū jiko de jūshō wo otta.
He suffered serious injuries in a traffic accident.
その言葉は彼女の心を深く傷つけた。
Sono kotoba wa kanojo no kokoro wo fukaku kizutsuketa.
Those words deeply hurt her feelings.
傷口を清潔に保ってください。
Kizuguchi wo seiketsu ni tamotte kudasai.
Please keep the wound clean.
彼にはまだ消えない古傷がある。
Kare ni wa mada kienai furukizu ga aru.
He still carries old wounds that have never healed.
兵士たちは戦場で負傷した。
Heishitachi wa senjō de fushō shita.
The soldiers were wounded on the battlefield.
転んで膝に擦り傷を作った。
Koronde hiza ni surikizu wo tsukutta.
I fell and got a scrape on my knee.
失恋して傷心のあまり、何も食べられなかった。
Shitsuren shite shōshin no amari, nani mo taberarenakatta.
So heartbroken from the breakup, I could not eat anything at all.
その事件は傷害罪として処理された。
Sono jiken wa shōgaizai toshite shori sareta.
That incident was handled as a criminal case of bodily harm.
秋になると、彼女はいつも感傷的になる。
Aki ni naru to, kanojo wa itsumo kanshōteki ni naru.
When autumn arrives, she always becomes sentimental.
Memory Tip
Look at the left side: 亻, a person. The right-side component suggests something sharp cutting into flesh. Put them together: a person who has been wounded. That's the whole character.
For the on'yomi ショウ (shō): think of "show." A wound shows — visible, undeniable, on the surface. For the key kun'yomi きず (kizu): picture a child who just scraped their knee and keeps repeating "kizu! kizu!" in alarm. Person, sharp thing, visible mark — that's 傷.