godan verb (-su), transitive verb
pierce; stab; prick; stick into
Core physical sense: a pointed object enters or is thrust into something. Common with knives, needles, thorns, skewers, and similar objects.
彼はナイフで相手の腕を刺した。
He stabbed the other person's arm with a knife.
肉
Skewer the meat and grill it.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Used for insects and similar creatures causing a puncturing bite or sting. In everyday Japanese, passive forms such as 蚊に刺される and ハチに刺される are especially common; 螫す is a rare spelling for this sense.
昨日の夜、蚊に刺されて足がかゆい。
I was bitten by mosquitoes last night, and my legs itch.
ハチに刺されたら、すぐに手当てをしてください。
If you are stung by a bee, treat it right away.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Used when a needle repeatedly pierces cloth to sew, stitch, or embroider; common in expressions involving decorative stitching or patterns.
白い布に赤い糸で花の模様を刺した。
She embroidered a flower pattern on the white cloth with red thread.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
pole a boat
Specialized and uncommon use for moving a boat by pushing with a pole. The related spelling 差す is often the clearer spelling for this boat-poling sense.
See also: 差す
古い舟運の説明では、竿で舟を刺すという表現が出てくる。
In descriptions of old boat transport, the expression 'pole a boat with a pole' appears.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
catch with a limed pole
Rare traditional hunting use: catching birds or small animals with a sticky birdlime pole rather than literally stabbing them.
鳥もち竿で鳥を刺すという猟法は、今ではほとんど見られない。
The hunting method of catching birds with a birdlime pole is rarely seen today.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
put a runner out; pick off
Baseball term for throwing out or picking off a runner. The object is typically 走者 or ランナー.
捕手が一塁走者を刺した。
The catcher threw out the runner at first.
ピッチャーは牽制球でランナーを刺した。
The pitcher picked off the runner with a pickoff throw.