U+523A "刺" CJK Unified Ideograph-# Unicode Character
U+523A "刺" CJK Unified Ideograph-# is a Chinese character that primarily means "thorn," "prickle," "to stab," or "to pierce," and it is composed of a radical meaning "knife" or "sword" beside a phonetic component, reflecting its association with sharp actions. It appears in various East Asian languages including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, where it can also carry extended meanings such as "to assassinate," "to irritate," or "a spur." In Chinese, it is frequently used in words like "刺殺" for assassination and "刺激" for stimulation or excitement, while in Japanese it is common in terms like "刺激" for stimulus. Visually, the character combines an upper element resembling a pointed object with a lower knife radical, symbolizing the act of piercing or causing a sting.