The kanji 疫 primarily means "epidemic," "plague," or "disease." It signifies a widespread outbreak of illness that affects a population. It embodies the concept of infectious diseases and their impact.

・On-yomi (音読み): エキ (eki) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None commonly used.

⚫︎疫病 Translation: Epidemic; plague; infectious disease. ⚫︎検疫 Translation: Quarantine; inspection for diseases. ⚫︎疫学 Translation: Epidemiology (the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems).

The kanji 疫 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The radical on the left side is 疒 (やまいだれ, yamaidare), which signifies "sickness" or "disease." The right side of the character, 役 (やく, yaku), acts as a phonetic component, indicating the sound, and has a related meaning of "service" or "duty," possibly referencing the impact of the disease on society or the necessary actions to be taken in response. Therefore, 疫is a combination of the "sickness" radical and a component suggesting both sound and meaning.