刺 — Thorn / Pierce / Stab / Prick

Master (高手)し, さ, さし, とげ

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

刺 (readings: し, さ, さし, とげ; Japanese kanji) means “Thorn / Pierce / Stab / Prick”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 刺激 (stimulation).

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What does 刺 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	刺
Meaning	Thorn / Pierce / Stab / Prick
Readings	し, さ, さし, とげ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	刺激 (stimulation)

How to read 刺

刺 is read し or さ or さし or とげ depending on the word.

Words with 刺

刺激kích thích

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Updated: 2026-07-22