Sarih refers to wording whose intended legal sense is explicit. Kinayah may carry multiple possibilities and can therefore require intention or contextual indication. The distinction concerns how clearly an expression communicates a meaning.
أَنْتِ طَالِقٌ
You are divorced.
أَنْتِ بَائِنٌ
You are separated.
These textbook illustrations distinguish explicit wording from allusion. They cannot determine an actual person's marital status without the full circumstances and relevant legal qualifications.