区切る
くぎる · kugiru · JLPT N2 · verb-godan
to cut off
✂️ 区 (division) + 切る (to cut) = cut into divisions; punctuate or mark off
Punctuation divides text into sections: 区 means a division or section, and 切る means to cut. Commas and periods are the cuts that mark off units of a sentence.
区 — enclosure 匚 + 品 (items)
Originally a pictograph of items (品) hidden inside a container (匚), meaning to store or conceal. The sense extended to a bounded space, then to an administrative district or area. As a surname read Ōu, it preserves the older 'hidden/enclosed' nuance.
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.