激

Three-drops water radical on the left — the side-form of 水. 激 originally meant 'water dashing against an obstacle and surging up' — turbulent water. From physical splash came the metaphorical 'arouse, stir up emotion'. Same radical heads 江 river, 海 sea, 流 flow, 涌 surge — the moving-water family.

Right side 敫 supplies the sound: jiǎo → jī with only tone shift. 敫 is rarely seen standalone but is productive as a phonetic — it also gives 邀 yāo (invite), 缴 jiǎo (pay), 檄 xí (rallying call). The component itself shows white (白) over 放 (release) — light striking outward, fitting 激's burst-of-energy imagery.