Meaning

Primary

To Be Pierced

Alternatives

To Get Pricked, To Be Stabbed

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb.

This is an intransitive verb, meaning that the piercing just happens, without emphasis on what makes it happen. That's why this verb means to be pierced, to get pricked, or to be stabbed. This is a tricky one because the English translations often end up being transitive, but in Japanese we always use this with the particle , not , so it's intransitive.

Reading

ささる
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word has okurigana (hiragana attached to the kanji) you know that it's probably going to be the kun'yomi reading.

Lucky for you, the kanji readings for transitive and intransitive verbs are almost always the same. Once you learn one, you know them both! This reading is the same as 刺す.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • 心に刺さる

    to go straight to the heart

    胸に刺さる

    to go straight to the heart, to pierce the chest

    喉に刺さる

    to pierce the throat, to get stuck in one's throat

    目に刺さる

    to pierce the eye

Context Sentences

それは心に刺さる言葉だった。

Those words struck a chord in my heart.

矢が頭に刺さった。

The arrow got embedded in my head.

トゲが刺さらないように気をつけてね。

Be careful not to get pricked by a thorn.

Kanji Composition