患う

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 患う(わずらう) means to suffer from an illness or physical ailment.
• Basic usage: It is used for long-lasting conditions or illnesses someone had in the past.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Who has the illness
  • 腰痛を患う友人 means a friend suffering from back pain. The person with the condition is the friend described by the clause.
• The te-form and a past condition
  • 患っていた means was suffering from an illness. In 患う, the final う changes to って in the te-form.