癖 means “habit, quirk”

くせ · kuse

Also: mannerism, vice, trait

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

くせ, くせに

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ヘキ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 18 strokes

The story

Sickness (疒) over 辟: picture a habit that clings like a sickness you can't shake. 癖 is a habit or quirk: 口癖 is a pet phrase, 寝癖 is bed hair sticking up in the morning, and 潔癖 is being a neat freak.

Used in 癖 (kuse, habit/quirk), 口癖 (kuchiguse, pet phrase), and 寝癖 (neguse, bed head)

More from Vice & Folly

• 卑 lowly
• 堕 fall
• 恣 arbitrary
• 惰 idle
• 淫 lewd
• 傲 arrogant
• 慢 conceit
• 狂 go mad
• 愚 foolish
• 俗 worldly
• 邪 wicked
• 劣 inferior

Learn 癖 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.