The common readings of 禍 are まが (as in 禍々しい) and カ. コロナ禍 is read ころなか, where this 禍 is a kind of suffix which cannot be replaced by 災い.

According to dictionaries, わざわい can be written both as 災い and 禍, but the latter is a little-known reading used almost exclusively in aesthetic writing (usually with furigana). Some novelists like to use rare kanji just to add flavor, but most people can safely stick to 災い when they write something.

Still, I personally feel a subtle difference in nuance between 災い and 禍. The kanji 禍 is often associated with supernatural ominous things like curse or demonic creatures (try an image search for 禍々しい). At least in fiction, 禍 may tend to be chosen to emphasize such "cursed", "dark" or "impure" atmosphere.

Similar examples include 哭く【なく】, 嗤う【わらう】 and 斃れる【たおれる】. These rare kanji do have subtle added nuance as compared to more mundane 泣く/笑う/倒れる, but most laypeople should not use them unless they want to show off their knowledge and be frowned upon.

The common readings of 禍 are まが (as in 禍々しい) and カ. コロナ禍 is read ころなか, where this 禍 is a kind of suffix which cannot be replaced by 災い.

According to dictionaries, わざわい can be written both as 災い and 禍, but the latter is a little-known reading used almost exclusively in aesthetic writing (usually with furigana). Some novelists like to use rare kanji just to add flavor, but most people can safely stick to 災い when they write something.

Still, I personally feel a subtle difference in nuance between 災い and 禍. The kanji 禍 is often associated with supernatural ominous things like curse or demonic creatures (try an image search for 禍々しい). At least in fiction, 禍 may tend to be chosen to emphasize such "cursed", "dark" or "impure" atmosphere.

Similar examples include 哭く【なく】, 嗤う【わらう】 and 斃れる【たおれる】. These rare kanji do have subtle added nuance as compared to more mundane 泣く/笑う/倒れる, but most laypeople should not use them unless they want to be frowned upon for showing off their knowledge.

The common readings of 禍 are まが (as in 禍々しい and ) and カ. コロナ禍 is read ころなか, and this is a kind of suffix which cannot be replaced by 災い.

According to dictionaries, わざわい can be written both as 災い and 禍, but the latter is a little-known reading used almost exclusively in aesthetic writing (usually with furigana). Some novelists like to use rare kanji just to add flavor, but most people can safely stick to 災い when they write something.

Still, I personally feel a subtle difference in nuance between 災い and 禍. The kanji 禍 is often associated with supernatural ominous things like curse or demonic creatures (try an image search for 禍々しい). At least in fiction, 禍 may tend to be chosen to emphasize such "cursed", "dark" or "impure" atmosphere.

Similar examples include 哭く【なく】, 嗤う【わらう】 and 斃れる【たおれる】. They do have subtle added nuance as compared to more mundane 泣く/笑う/倒れる, but laypeople should not use them unless you want to show off your knowledge and be frowned upon.

The common readings of 禍 are まが (as in 禍々しい) and カ. コロナ禍 is read ころなか, where this 禍 is a kind of suffix which cannot be replaced by 災い.

According to dictionaries, わざわい can be written both as 災い and 禍, but the latter is a little-known reading used almost exclusively in aesthetic writing (usually with furigana). Some novelists like to use rare kanji just to add flavor, but most people can safely stick to 災い when they write something.

Still, I personally feel a subtle difference in nuance between 災い and 禍. The kanji 禍 is often associated with supernatural ominous things like curse or demonic creatures (try an image search for 禍々しい). At least in fiction, 禍 may tend to be chosen to emphasize such "cursed", "dark" or "impure" atmosphere.

Similar examples include 哭く【なく】, 嗤う【わらう】 and 斃れる【たおれる】. These rare kanji do have subtle added nuance as compared to more mundane 泣く/笑う/倒れる, but most laypeople should not use them unless they want to show off their knowledge and be frowned upon.