痛

to feel pain;
to ache;
to suffer physically or emotionally;

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound:

疒 (병들어 기댈 녁, “illness, sickness”) — semantic, indicating pain, disease, or affliction.

甬 (종꼭지 용, “tube, passage”) — phonetic, giving the sound 통 and connoting something penetrating or passing through.

Together, the graph expresses pain that penetrates through the body, both literally and figuratively — thus encompassing physical and emotional suffering.

Usage in Korean

통증(痛症) — pain, ache

두통(頭痛) — headache

치통(齒痛) — toothache

심통(心痛) — heartache, grief

통탄(痛歎) — lamentation, deep sorrow

통쾌(痛快) — deep delight, refreshing satisfaction (literally “painfully joyful”)

Additional notes

In classical Chinese medicine, 痛 referred not only to physical pain but also to the disruption of internal flow (氣) — pain signifying imbalance or blockage.

In literary Chinese, 痛 often appears in expressions of deep feeling, such as 痛哭 (통곡, “to weep bitterly”) and 痛恨 (통한, “deep resentment”).

In Confucian and Buddhist texts, 痛 can describe moral or spiritual suffering, reflecting awareness of wrongdoing or compassion for others’ pain.