The kanji 試 means "to try," "to test," or "to attempt." It implies an action taken to evaluate something, to see if it works, or to determine its qualities or abilities. It can also suggest an experiment or a trial.

・On-yomi (音読み): シ (shi) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ため（す） (tame(su))

⚫︎試験 (shiken) Translation: Exam, test ⚫︎試着 (shichaku) Translation: Trying on (clothes) ⚫︎試す (tamesu) Translation: To try, to test

The kanji 試 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It combines two components: ⚫︎ 言 (gen) or 訁 (gen): This component means "words" or "speech." It represents the idea of speaking or stating something. ⚫︎ 式 (shiki): This component acts as the phonetic component, suggesting the sound "shi." It originally meant "model" or "pattern." The combination suggests the idea of "testing" something by using words or by following a pattern or model to see if it works or is correct. Essentially, it's about making a "trial" or an "attempt" to verify or assess something, often based on a set of rules or a standard.