Mnemonic
Deep inside a tunnel, a massive tree root blocks your only way out. You grip your knife tightly and pierce straight through the twisted wood, stabbing again and again until splinters fly and daylight breaks through the other side.
Additional thoughts
Visualize the desperation of being trapped underground, the root like a living wall, and the satisfying thrust of the blade punching through bark and fiber. Tree + Tunnel + Knife = Pierce.Quick recall
Trapped in a tunnel by a tree root, you knife your way out and pierce through.Details
The keyword for 刺 is pierce. This kanji conveys the action of stabbing, pricking, or thrusting something sharp into an object or surface. It encompasses both literal piercing, such as with a needle or thorn, and figurative uses such as delivering a stinging remark or presenting a calling card (as in the compound 名刺). The sense of something pointed penetrating or making a sharp impact is central to this character's meaning.
- On'yomi
- し
- Kun'yomi
- さ.す、さ.さる、さ.し、さし、とげ