血
ち · chi · JLPT N4 · noun
blood
🩸 chi sounds like cheek: a pinched cheek flushes red with blood
血 is read ち (chi) on its own, like the start of the English word cheek. Cheeks turn red because blood rushes to them, so cheek leads to chi leads to blood. In compounds it takes the reading けつ (ketsu), as in 血液 ketsueki.
血 — drop 丿 over dish 皿
Originally a pictograph of a sacrificial vessel (皿) with a drop of blood inside, marking the offering of blood in ancient rituals. The small stroke on top represents the blood itself. Over time it broadened from ritual blood to blood in general.