吸血鬼 (xī xuè guǐ) — vampire (mythical creature); (figurative) bloodsucker, exploiter

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

吸 pairs 口 (mouth) with 及, which gives the sound and relates to grabbing, so the shape suggests grabbing through the mouth.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape shows 一, a drop of blood, inside 皿, a container, for blood held in a sacrificial vessel.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.