purple, violet
紫 centers on the color purple or violet, a blend of red and blue historically associated with nobility and elegance.
紫 combines 此 (which likely contributed the sound) with 糸 (thread), suggesting a purple dye or fabric. The exact historical development of 此 as a phonetic is broadly accepted.
The top 此 looks like a foot stopping beside a spoon, but here it's just a sound hint. The bottom 糸 is thread. Imagine a spool of thread dyed a rich purple, the color of royalty.
For シ, picture a sheet of purple silk: sheet -> シ, and the thread 糸 is dyed that royal purple.
purple; violet
aster (Aster tataricus); Tartarian aster; Michaelmas daisy
ultraviolet rays; ultraviolet radiation; UV radiation
purple; violet
shiso (Perilla frutescens var. crispa); perilla; beefsteak plant
bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla); French hydrangea
Tsukushi (former province located in northern Kyūshū; later split into Chikuzen and Chikugo)
Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica)
purple lightning; flash; swordflash
light purple
rosewood; red sandalwood
purple clouds on which Amitabha rides to welcome the spirits of the dead
purpura; purple spot
Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus); common fleabane
Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon (awarded for scholarly or artistic achievement)
Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus)
giant purple butterfly (species of nymphalid butterfly, Sasakia charonda)
dark purple; bluish purple
purple smoke; tobacco smoke
ninth of nine traditional astrological signs (corresponding to Mars and south)