危篤

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 危篤 is read as きとく and functions as a noun or adjectival noun for a life-threatening critical medical condition.
• Basic usage: News of the condition appears in 祖父が危篤だ, while 危篤の床 refers to a critically ill person’s sickbed.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Difference from 重病
  • 重病 broadly means serious illness; 危篤 specifically indicates that the person’s life is in immediate danger.
• A person’s condition
  • The word normally describes a patient or injured person and should not be broadened to any difficult situation.