Character for sores and wounds

In Chinese, 瘡 means a sore, ulcer, boil, or wound.

The Shuowen Jiezi, an early Chinese character dictionary, defines 創 as an injury but has no entry for 瘡; later dictionaries record 瘡 for sores and ulcers. That dictionary trail links 瘡 historically to 創.

In Chinese compounds, bodily wounds can also stand for damage left by war or disaster.

What does 瘡 mean in Japanese?

In Japanese, 瘡 names a scab or skin eruption.

The Japanese reading kasa (かさ) for a scab or skin eruption appears in the Nihon Shoki, an early Japanese chronicle, in 720; kusa (くさ) appears in a Japanese-Portuguese dictionary from 1603–04.

A source dated 1659–61 also uses かさ as a colloquial term for syphilis. That is historical vocabulary, not a neutral modern diagnosis. If someone sends 瘡 alone, ask whether they mean Chinese or Japanese and what word or compound they intended.

Is 瘡 traditional or simplified?

瘡 is the traditional Chinese form; 疮 is its simplified counterpart.

創 is a separate character that can also mean “create.” Its older injury sense connects it historically to 瘡, but the two are not interchangeable; read the full word or compound.