剥す
はがす · hagasu · JLPT N2 · verb-godan
to tear off
🏷️ Knife radical 刂 in 剥 hints at cutting; hagasu = peel or rip something off
剥す is a rarer spelling of 剥がす, the usual form. The knife radical marks the blade-like action of stripping a layer away.
剥 — 录 (carve) + 刂 (knife radical)
剥 is a semantic compound: 刂 (knife) on the right shows the action, while 录 on the left originally depicted carving or scraping. Together they convey peeling or stripping something off with a blade. The two readings split usage: bāo in everyday speech (peel fruit), bō in compounds (剥削 exploit).