The kanji 検 means "to examine," "to inspect," "to check," or "to investigate." It implies a careful and thorough process of looking at something to assess its quality, condition, or accuracy. It can refer to verifying something, conducting a test, or examining evidence.

・On-yomi (音読み): ケン ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): しら（べる） (shira(beru))

⚫︎ 検査（けんさ） Translation: Inspection, examination, test. ⚫︎ 検定（けんてい） Translation: Certification, qualification test. ⚫︎ 点検（てんけん） Translation: Inspection, check-up.

The kanji 検 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is 木 (ki - tree, wood), which is the phonetic component, and the right side is 僉 (ken, meaning "all" or "together"), which functions as the semantic component. Originally, it showed a picture of examining the wood. The 木 part suggested that the examination could involve checking the quality or condition of wood. The "all" part represents an exhaustive examination. Over time, the character evolved to represent examination or investigation more generally.