突く

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 突く(つく) means poking or pushing against something with an object's tip or a similar part.
• Basic usage: It is used for testing food with chopsticks or setting the tip of a cane against the ground.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The movement compared with 刺す
  • 刺す(さす) focuses on a pointed tip entering something. 突く also describes pushing a tip against a surface, as with a cane on the ground.