切れ
きれ · kire · JLPT N3 · noun
fabric
✂️ 切れ = noun of 切る kiru, to cut: what gets cut off is a piece
切る (kiru) means to cut. Change its ending to -e and you get 切れ (kire), the thing that was cut: a scrap or piece, and especially a piece of cloth. The same root appears in 切手 (kitte, stamp).
切 — 七 (phonetic) + 刀 (knife radical)
切 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 刀 'knife' gives the meaning of cutting, while 七 supplies the sound. The original sense was to slice or cut with a blade. From there it extended figuratively to 'close to' (as in pressed against) and 'urgent/earnest', as in 切实.