あざ
あざ
noun
bruise; birthmark
1.
bruise
A discolored mark on the skin caused by an injury where blood vessels are damaged beneath the surface.
腕にあざができた。
I got a bruise on my arm.
ぶつけたところに大きなあざが残っている。
A large bruise remains where I bumped it.
あざが消えるまで一週間くらいかかった。
It took about a week for the bruise to disappear.
2.
birthmark
A colored mark on the skin that is present from birth or appears shortly after.
生まれつきのあざがある。
I have a birthmark.
背中にあざがある赤ちゃんは多い。
Many babies have birthmarks on their backs.
蒙古斑は青いあざのように見えるが、成長とともに消える。
Mongolian spots look like blue birthmarks but fade as the child grows.
Can be written in kanji as 痣, but the kana form is more common. The typical verb pattern is あざができる (a bruise forms) rather than あざがつく. For bruises, 青あざ (blue bruise) is a common compound. In medical contexts, birthmarks may be further classified by color: 青あざ, 赤あざ, 茶あざ, etc.