Left-side mouth radical - pictograph of an open mouth, the small square shape. The indexing radical, and pure semantic fit:
噼 is an onomatopoeic verb (
噼啪 'crackle, snap, pop'), the sharp cracking sound of firecrackers, breaking branches, or rapid slaps. Most
口-radical chars exist solely as sound-imitations:
嗡 buzz,
呜 howl,
嘟 toot,
啪 clap.