破く
やぶく · yabuku · JLPT N2 · noun
tear
📄 破 = break/tear (ha) + く verb ending: 破く is a 'break it open' verb, used for ripping paper or cloth
The kanji 破 means break or tear, as in 破る. 破く is the same root used for tearing something open, typically paper or cloth, so pair the tear with the kanji's core meaning.
破 — stone 石 + skin/hide 皮
破 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 石 (stone) gives the meaning 'to break, smash,' since stones were used to crack things, while 皮 (pí) supplies the sound. The original sense of breaking stone broadened to mean 'broken,' 'damaged,' or 'to defeat.'