Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons

刺: thorn, pierce

Also: stab, prick, sting, calling card

JLPT N28 strokesSecondary schoolYour ink: 白 Not met

刂 carries the meaning · 朿 gives the sound

8 strokes
  • Small seal · Qin
  • Today

Small seal: Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Four readings, and the words that use each

シshi · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 刺繍ししゅうembroidery
  • 刺客しかくassassin
  • 名刺めいしbusiness card
  • 刺激するしげきするstimulate, stir up, excite
  • 刺傷するししょうするstab, puncture, wound
  • 風刺するふうしするsatirize, lampoon

さすsasu · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 刺すさすpierce, stab [v.t.]

ささるsasaru · kun'yomi

  • 刺さるささるbe stuck [v.i.]

さしsashi · kun'yomi

  • 刺身さしみsliced raw fish

Also read さし, とげ, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Phono-semantic compound (形聲)朿 (sound) + 刀 knife, as 刂 (meaning)

Source: Wiktionary, 刺 (rev. 93773191), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Thorn/spike (朿) + knife (⺉). The action of using a "knife" or sharp tool to "pierce" and "stab" through a surface like a thorn.”
From the ⺉ knife story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
朿

Also built on 朿

刺 takes the 朿 family's reading, シ (shi).

刂

Also built on knife (刂)

All 27

Also read シ

63 kanji share this on'yomiAll 63

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
刺 thorn · 朿
vs利 profit · 禾
刺 has 朿 where 利 has 禾.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · cì

Same form: 刺 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).

Simplified
刺 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
刺 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin cì most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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