爪子
zhuǎ zi · HSK 7
claw
🐾 爪 = claw/talon + 子 noun-suffix; zhuǎ is the animal-paw reading (vs zhǎo)
爪 alone means claw or talon, and 子 is a common noun-ending particle, so 爪子 is the everyday word for an animal's claw or paw. The character 爪 is read zhuǎ here in colloquial speech, while the same character reads zhǎo in more formal compounds.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.