About
刈 is a phono-semantic compound. The knife radical 刂 on the right provides the core meaning of cutting or severing. The left component 乂 contributes the phonetic value while its form, suggesting a crossing or shearing motion, reinforces the sense of cutting. The character specifically refers to agricultural actions like mowing grass or harvesting grain with a blade. Its usage is confined to cutting vegetation in farming contexts, not to cutting other materials.
Etymology Hide
