Meaning of 刺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- thorn
- sting
- thrust
- to prick
- to pierce
- to stab
- to assassinate
- to murder
- (onom.) whoosh
How to use 刺
刺 is used for sharp, piercing things, both literal and figurative, such as a thorn, a sting, or a sound that hurts your ears. It appears in many common words like 刺激 (cìjī, to stimulate) and 讽刺 (fěngcì, to satirize). Example: 这个声音很刺耳。(Zhège shēngyīn hěn cì'ěr.) This sound is really ear-piercing.
The right side 刂 is the knife radical, and the left side 朿 (cì) looks like a thorny tree. A thorn and a knife both poke into things, so 刺 (cì) means to prick or stab.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 刺 (cì) with 剌 (là), which has 束 on the left instead of 朿. Look closely: 朿 has no closed box in the middle, while 束 does.
刺 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
刺 cì · thorn · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 刺.
| 刺激 | cìjī | to provoke; to irritate; to upset; to stimulate; to excite; irritant |
| 讽刺 | fěngcì | to satirize; to mock |
| 冲刺 | chōngcì | (sports) to sprint; to spurt; to dash; to put in a big effort to achieve a goal as the dea |
| 刺耳 | cì'ěr | ear-piercing |
| 刺绣 | cìxiù | to embroider; embroidery |
| 刺骨 | cìgǔ | piercing; cutting |
| 刺杀 | cìshā | to assassinate; (military) to fight with a bayonet |
| 刺客 | cìkè | assassin |
| 刺青 | cìqīng | to tattoo; a tattoo |
| 刺伤 | cìshāng | to stab |
| 刺穿 | cìchuān | to skewer; to impale |
| 刺痛 | cìtòng | to tingle; to sting; to have a sudden sharp pain; (fig.) to hurt deeply; tingle; prick; st |
Questions about 刺
What does 刺 mean?
刺 (cì) means "thorn; sting" and is used as a verb and noun.
How do you write 刺?
刺 is made of 1 character: 刺 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 刺 an HSK word?
Yes. 刺 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 刺 mean in 鱼刺?
In 鱼刺 (yúcì), 刺 means a small sharp bone in a fish. The noun sense of 刺 covers anything thin and pointed that can prick you, like thorns or fish bones.
When is 刺 pronounced cī?
刺 is read cī only as an onomatopoeia for a quick whooshing or sliding sound, for example 刺的一声 (cī de yì shēng). In almost every other case, including all the common words, it is cì.