剪
jiǎn · HSK 5
scissors
✂️ 前 (qián, 'front') + 刀 (knife) = scissors that cut the front off
The character 剪 stacks 前 (qián) on top of 刀 (knife/blade). 前 supplies the sound (qián → jiǎn) and the sense of trimming what's in front; 刀 supplies the cutting tool — together: scissors.
剪 — 前 (qián, phonetic) + 刀 (knife)
剪 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The bottom 刀 (knife) gives the meaning—cutting or shearing—while 前 above supplies the sound 'jian'. Originally 前 itself meant 'to cut' (showing a boat/foot being trimmed), but as 前 shifted to mean 'front', the knife radical 刀 was added to preserve the cutting sense.