How to Write 刿 (guì) — Meaning “to cut; to wound”

Imagine a "year" (岁) being sliced by a knife (刂) — that sharp cut is so painful it stays in your memory like a whole year. The visual of a knife cutting through the word for "year" helps link the shape to the meaning of cutting or wounding.

The left part 岁 has 6 strokes: write the top 山 (mountain) first, then 夕 (evening) below, with careful proportion so it doesn't become too tall. The right side 刂 is just 2 strokes — a vertical stroke with a hook and then a vertical line — and it should be slightly taller than the left side. A common mistake is writing the left side too wide or forgetting the downward hook on the knife radical.

刿 (guì) has 岁 on the left and means "to cut/wound," while 刎 (wěn) has 勿 and means "to cut the throat" or "to behead." 刑 (xíng) has 开 (open) on the left and means "punishment" or "torture." Visually, 刿 is the only one with the 岁 component, so look for the mountain and sunset shape on the left.

刿 is a rare, literary character mostly found in classical texts or poetic expressions, such as 刿目 (eye-piercing) and 刿心 (heart-rending). It is not used in everyday conversation or HSK vocabulary. You might encounter it in formal or artistic writing describing deeply shocking or moving sensations, much like an intense emotional wound.

Common words containing 刿 include: 刿目 (guì mù) — eye-piercing; shocking to the eye; 刿心 (guì xīn) — heart-rending; deeply moving; 刺刿 (cì guì) — To wound / To hurt..