指す
さす · sasu · JLPT N3 · verb-godan
to point
👉 指 = finger: to point is to do the finger verb; sasu sounds like sassy
The kanji 指 means finger (as in 指輪, yubiwa, finger ring), so 指す is literally to finger toward something. Hook: sasu sounds like sassy, and a sassy reply often comes with a pointed finger.
指 — hand radical 扌 + 旨 (zhǐ, phonetic)
指 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning — something done with the hand, namely pointing with a finger. 旨 supplies the sound 'zhǐ'. From 'finger' it naturally extended to the verb 'to point' and figurative senses like 'to indicate' or 'to refer to'.