横切る
よこぎる · yokogiru · JLPT N3 · verb-godan
to cross
🚶 横切る = 横 sideways + 切る cut: to cut sideways across a path
横 (yoko) means side or horizontal, and 切る (kiru) means to cut. When 切る comes after 横 it is pronounced giru, so yoko + kiru becomes yokogiru. To cut sideways through something is to cross it, like a road, a room or a field.
横 — wood radical 木 + 黄 (huáng, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 木 'wood' gives the meaning (a horizontal wooden bar across a gate), while 黄 supplies the sound. It originally meant the crossbar of a gate, then extended to 'horizontal' generally. The reading hèng later developed the sense of 'unruly' or 'unexpected'.
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.