突く

つく · tsuku · JLPT N3 · verb-godan

to poke

🗡️ tsuku sounds like stick you: 突 = 穴 hole + 犬 dog bursting out

The kanji 突 puts 犬 (dog) under 穴 (hole): a dog lunging out of its den, a sudden forward thrust. The reading tsuku echoes stick you, which is what a poke or a jab does.

つつく · tsutsuku · JLPT N1 · verb-godan

to poke

More Japanese words · How Japanese works