刂 points to knife.
hard, strong, tough; just, barely
COMMON WORD刚 · (literary) hard; firm; strong; exactly; precisely; barely; only just; just; only a short while agoOpen 刚 character →The 冈 Character Family
冈 recurs in these common characters. Use it to notice a pattern, then check each character’s own pronunciation and tone.
冈 is a sound clue; the left component changes the meaning.
Learn the semantic clue, then open the character page to practise it in context.
纟 points to thread.
program, outline; principle, guiding thread
COMMON WORD大纲 · synopsis; outline; program; leading principlesOpen 纲 character →How should I study the 冈 character family?
Compare the meaning-side component, then learn every member in a common word. The shared component is a memory aid, not a fixed pronunciation rule.