To Point
To Point At
transitive verb, godan verb
The kanji means finger. So, if you "to finger" something, what are you doing? You're pointing. That's why this word means to point.
さす
Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:
You are pointing at something in fear. It is a saw (さ). Thing is, you're pointing at this saw with a missing finger. It just cut off your finger and you're freaking out, trying to point with a bloody non-finger.
矢じるしは、どちらの方向を指していますか？
Which way is the arrow pointing?
人を指で指すのは、日本では失礼です。
In Japan, it's rude to point at people with your finger.
ああ、あなたは色盲なんですか。ということは、どっちが赤色でどっちが緑色かを指すことはできませんね。
Oh, you’re color blind, eh? So that means you can’t point at which one is red and which one is green, then.