刺繍
ししゅう · shishuu · JLPT N1 · noun
embellishment
🪡🧵 刺 (pierce) + 繍 (embroider, thread radical 糸 on its left): pierce cloth with thread
刺 means pierce, as a needle does. 繍 carries the thread radical 糸 on its left side. Pierce plus thread gives embroidery: a needle passes through cloth and draws thread behind it.
刺 — thorn 朿 (phonetic) + knife 刂 (meaning)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The knife radical 刂 carries the meaning of cutting or piercing, while 朿 (a thorn) supplies both the sound and reinforces the idea of something sharp. Original sense was 'to stab' or 'pierce', later extended to 'thorn', 'sting', and figuratively 'to criticize sharply'.