挖苦
wā kǔ · HSK 7
to speak sarcastically
⛏️ 挖 dig + 苦 bitter = digging up bitter words to needle someone
挖 means to dig and 苦 means bitter, so 挖苦 is literally digging up bitterness: making cutting, sarcastic remarks meant to sting. The pronunciation wā kǔ keeps the two roots audible, wa then ku.
挖 — hand radical 扌 + 穵 (wā)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 indicates the meaning—an action done with the hand, namely digging or scooping. The right side 穵 supplies the sound 'wā'. The character has long meant to dig out, excavate, or hollow something.
苦 — grass radical 艹 + 古 (old)
Originally referred to a bitter-tasting plant, with the grass radical 艹 indicating its botanical nature and 古 providing the phonetic element. The meaning extended from the literal bitter taste to figurative senses of hardship, suffering, and painful effort.