刺
cì · HSK 4
prick
🗡️ 束 (bundle) + 刂 (knife) — a bundled thorn or blade that pricks
The left side 朿 depicts a thorn or barb, and 刂 is the knife radical. Together: a sharp point that stabs or pricks. Extended senses include assassinate and irritate (a verbal jab).
刺 — thorn 朿 (phonetic) + knife 刂 (meaning)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The knife radical 刂 carries the meaning of cutting or piercing, while 朿 (a thorn) supplies both the sound and reinforces the idea of something sharp. Original sense was 'to stab' or 'pierce', later extended to 'thorn', 'sting', and figuratively 'to criticize sharply'.