# 刺 — pierce; stab

刺 means “pierce; stab”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 8 strokes. On'yomi: シ (shi). Kun'yomi: さし (sashi), さ(す) (sasu), とげ (toge). You'll see it in words such as 刺す (sasu, “to prick; to sting”).

- Meaning: pierce; stab
- On'yomi: シ (shi)
- Kun'yomi: さし (sashi), さ(す) (sasu), とげ (toge)
- Strokes: 8
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Hands at work 3

## How to remember 刺

Parts: 木 tree · 冂 frame · 刂 sword

## Words with 刺

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 刺す | さす (sasu) | to prick; to sting |
| 刺さる | ささる (sasaru) | to stick into; to prick |

## More in the “Hands at work 3” set

[刺](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pierce/) · [掃](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/sweep/) · [掘](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/dig/) · [捨](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/throw-away/) · [塗](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/paint/) · [磨](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/scrub/) · [挟](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pinch/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pierce/. Last updated 2026-11-01.