blame, censure, reprimand
咎 centers on holding someone responsible for a fault: blaming, censuring, or formally reprimanding them.
咎 combines 处 (place) and 口 (mouth), but the exact historical development is uncertain. It may have originally depicted a mouth speaking blame in a particular place, though this is speculative.
The top 处 suggests a place, and the bottom 口 is a mouth. Picture someone standing in a public place, mouth open, blaming and reprimanding another person.
For キュウ, imagine a person being blamed so harshly they let out a sharp, quick cry: 'kyuu!' The sound cues キュウ while the scene fits the blame meaning.
blame; censure; rebuke; reproof
error; mistake; fault
to blame; to reproach; to censure; to rebuke; to reprove; to find fault; to take to task; to criticize; to criticise
offender; criminal
no penalty; no punishment; acquittal; impunity
inflamed wound
fault-finding; carping
don't dwell on the past; let bygones be bygones
to have a guilty conscience; to have (something) lie heavy on one's conscience
to find fault with; to question
it's not my fault; this red face is the alcohol's fault