厳しい
きびしい · kibishii · JLPT N4 · i-adj
strict
📏 kibishii: a strict boss says key-BEE-she, then docks your pay
Sound hook: ki-bi-shii is close to key, bee, she. The kanji 厳 also appears in 厳格 (genkaku, strict) and 厳禁 (genkin, strictly forbidden), so it reliably signals severity. The しい ending marks it as an i-adjective.