睾

In modern usage, it is primarily a medical and anatomical character, not commonly used in everyday writing.

A composite character formed from multiple elements:

丿 (slanted stroke)

⺫ (eye radical, here used graphically)

幸 (“fortune; to escape harm” — phonetic/structural element)

The original graphic sense is pictorial, referring to the male reproductive organ, rather than an abstract semantic derivation.

Unlike many Han characters, 睾 does not frequently appear in literary classics, as it refers to a specific anatomical object and was traditionally avoided in refined prose.

睾丸 (고환) — testicle

睾腺 — testicular gland

睾酮 — testosterone (modern scientific term)

Modern usage:

- common in medical textbooks

- used in scientific terminology

- rare in newspapers, essays, or literary works

Register:

- considered technical / medical

- rare in classical literature

- avoided in polite or literary contexts historically

In traditional East Asian writing, explicit anatomical terms—especially sexual organs—were often:

- replaced with euphemisms

- omitted entirely

- confined to medical treatises

As a result, 睾 is far less common than its compound forms (e.g., 睾丸).

Related characters:

丸 — pellet; ball (used in 睾丸)

腎 — kidney (paired organ comparison in medicine)

陰 — yin; genital region (conceptual/medical context)

睪 (역 / 택 / 고) — variant character

In classical and medical texts, 睾 and 睪 may alternate.