The Japanese Radical: 刂


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Meaning
cut    刂

Explanation Variation of sword 刀

Used in these characters:
JLPT 4Joyo 2
to return
kaeru, KI
Left: knife刂, right: broom 帚 (A hand ナ/ヨ holds a broom 冖巾)
When you change your knife to a broom you have returned.  
JLPT 5Joyo 2
before, front portion
mae, ZEN
Top: a part 䒑 of the head/horns of a sheep 羊, bottom: flesh 月/肉, knife, cut刂
The horns and the flesh are cut (beginning) at the front position.  
JLPT 3Joyo 3
line, row, rank
RETSU
Left: bare bone 歹 (image of a vertebra), right: knife刂
(At the butcher) The bones are laid bare by a knife and arranged in a row.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
model, form, pattern, mold, type, shape
kata, KEI
Top: punishment 刑 (who openly 开 uses a knife刂 is punished), below: earth 土
With an open knife and earth (=clay) a model is formed.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
print, publish
suru, SATSU
From left: buttocks in side view 尸, cloth 巾, knife刂 (buttocks + cloths = underpants)
The underpants are cut to be imprinted.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
side, vicinity
kawa, gawa, soba, SOKU
Left: person 亻/人, right: rule 則 (Money 貝 [= the capital] and knifes刂 [= violence] determine the rules.)
The person with the rules (= the referee) is at the side. (of the play ground)  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
deputy, vice-, secondary, sub-, duplicate
FUKU
Left: barrel of sake 畐 (originally image of a barrel as an offering at the temple, therefore also wealth and luck 福), right: knife 刂 (Here刂 as a variant of two 二)
This sake barrel is the second, as duplicate, as a 'deputy'.  
JLPT 4Joyo 4
separate, distinction, difference, diverge, special
wakareru, BETSU
Left: var. of bone 歹, right: knife 刂
Bones are easy to separate with a knife because they are easy to distinguish.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
profit, benefit, gain
kiku, RI
Left: rice plant 禾, right: knife 刂
Rice plants cut with a knife bring profit.  
JLPT 3Joyo 4
example, precedent, usage
tatoeru, REI
Left: Person 亻/人, right: line/row 列 (bones 歹 separated with a knife刂 and lined up.)
People who line up in a row set an example.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
publish, issue, engrave
KAN
Left: dry 干 (drying rack/stand), right: knife刂. (Here: understand the knife as two printing plates)
Dry printing plates are used for publishing.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
organization, system, control, structure
SEI
Left top: cow 牛, below: cloth 巾, right: knife 刂
A cow wrapped in cloth with a knife: what an organization!  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
manufacture
SEI
Top: system 制 (A cow 牛 wrapped in cloth 巾 with a knife刂: what an organization!), below: clothes 衣
A system for clothes' manufacturing.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
rule, follow, model
nori, nottoru, SOKU
Left: money 貝 (cone-shell 目 with two feelers 八), right: knife刂
Money [= the capital] and knives [= violence] determine the rules to follow.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
measure, fathom
hakaru, SOKU
Left: water 氵, right: rule 則 (Money 貝 [= the capital] and knifes刂 [= violence] determine the rules.)
(fair share for irrigation) Water needs rules for measuring.  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
stamp, judge, seal, size
HAN, BAN
Left: half 半 (A cake 二 with candles 丷 is cut by knife丨into half), right: knife 刂. (Think of a hanko (= name stamp): a wooden stick that is cut in half to create a face into which the name characters are carved.
Cut in half and engraved with a knife to make: a stamp.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
ratio, rate, divide
wari, waru, KATSU
Left: damage 害 (The roof 宀 has by the growing plant in a pot 口 been: damaged.), right: knife 刂
The damage by the knife was divided in the ratio (of 10%-steps).  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
drama, a play
GEKI
Left: tiger 虎 (pictograph: jumping tiger with protruding fangs) and: pig 豕, right: knife 刂
A tiger, pig and knife drama.  
JLPT 2Joyo 6
engrave, carving, chop, mince
kizamu, KOKU
Left: zodiac boar 亥 (cf. pig 豕/豚), right: knife 刂
When a pig is chopped with a knife, you have to cut in, or: to "engrave".  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
create, genesis, start, wound
hajimeru,
Left: warehouse 倉 (A lid closes the door 戸 and the entrance 口 of the warehouse), right: knife 刂
From the warehouse came the knife which started the wounds.  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
squad, group
HAN
Left and right: king 王, center: knife 刂
When kings attack with knifes, then using their squads.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
cut, trim, reap
karu,
Left: scissors 㐅, right: knife 刂
Use scissors or knifes for cutting.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
punishment, penalty
KEI
Left: open 开 (image of a toori, the entrance gate of a Shintō-shrine), right: knife 刂
Who openly uses his knife must be punished.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
sword, sabre, blade
tsurugi, KEN
Left: check carefully (originally two people 兄 discussing under a roof. Better in respect to 'examine' 験: a person 人 examining the horse's 馬 mouth 口 [ are the mane and eyes 一 ]), right: knife 刂
Check the knife: It could be a sword.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
strength, hard, manly, brave

Left: hill 岡 (cf. steel 鋼 [= the metal 金, that is produced in a hill-like 岡 oven/furnance for smelting ore], right: knife 刂
This hill (= furnace) makes the knifes: strong and hard.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
medicine, chemical, drug, dose
ZAI
Left: equal/similar 斉 (For writing a text you need a sheet 亅丨 with lines 二 to make it uniform/similar., right: knife 刂
Similar to a knife is the effect of this medicine.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
whittle, sharpen, pare, curtail, plane, cut cost
kezuru, SAKU
Left: alike, imitate 肖 (Small 小 bodies 月/肉 are alike.), right: knife 刂
Small bodies are cut with a knife, when whittling or paring.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
thorn, pierce, stab, sting, stick, prick
sasu/saru, toge, SHI
Left: thorn 朿 (originally tree 木 with a pointed triangle symbolizing a thorn), right: knife刂
A thorn that is knife-like is a thorn for piercing.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
surplus, too much
amatsusae,
Left: get on/ride 乗 (vehicle 車 with open doors: ...get on for a ride.), right: knife 刂
"Get in" with your knife and cut off what is too much. (Or: Understand 乗 as "to use" & when you use a knife, you get a surplus.)  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
finally, ultimately, in the end, arrival (at a decision)
itaru,
Left: reach-a-target 至 (From the sky 一 an arrow ム comes to ground 土: falling back), right: knife 刂
When you reach the knife, you finally reached it.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
fall, collapse, overthrow
taoreru/su,
From left: person 亻, reach-a-target 至 (From the sky 一 an arrow ム comes to ground 土: falling back), knife 刂
The person reaches the knife and falls into it.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
punishment, penalty, fine
BATSU, BACHI
Top: var. of eye 罒, below: word 言, knife 刂
Use a (deprecating) stare, words and knifes for: punishing.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
divide, cut up, cleave

Left: to spit (To stand 立 with open mouth 口 and spit.), right: knife 刂
Spit on the knife when you cut sth.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
diarrhea
RI
Outside: illness 疒 (An ice-冫-cold building 广 makes sick.), below: profit 利 (When rice plant 禾 are cut with a knife刂 you make a profit.)
A disease that brings profit (to the doctor) is diarrhea.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
fierce, furious, vehement, intense, extreme
RETSU
Top: row 列 (bones 歹 separated with a knife刂 and lined up.), below: fire 灬
A row of fires is burning fiercely.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
tear, split, rip, cut, rend
saku/keru, RETSU
Top: row 列 (bones 歹 separated with knife刂 and lined up.), below: clothes 衣
(Tears in clothes run along the direction of weaving) Along the row the clothes will tear.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
area, temple, short moment
SATSU, SETSU
Left: 杀 (marker/cross 㐅, tree 木), right: knife 刂
The cross on the tree was cut by a knife and marks the area of the temple.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
roast, toast, to broil down
iru, SEN
Top: front, before 前 (The horns 丷 of the sheep 羊 and the flesh 月 are cut刂 at the front position.), below: fire 灬
The horns 丷 and the meat should separated with a knife, before using fire for: roasting. - Or: (For preservation) Beforehand (= before rotting/decay) take fire to roast it.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
Nashi, pear tree
nashi,
Top: profit 利 (Rice plants 禾 cut with a knife刂 bring profit.), bottom: tree 木
A profitable tree is the Nashi-pear.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
uncover, peel off, strip off, come off, reveal
hagasu, HAKU
Left top: var. of mutual 互 (intertwined 丩 threads on a spool), below: water 水, right: knife 刂
Mutually, water or a knife can peel off sth. or reveal/uncover.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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