The core meaning of the kanji 判 is "to judge," "to decide," "to distinguish," or "to discern." It relates to making a determination, forming an opinion, or establishing a differentiation. It suggests the act of examining something and arriving at a conclusion.

・On-yomi (音読み): ハン (han) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): わか(る) (waka(ru)) - to understand, to be known

⚫︎判断 (はんだん) Translation: judgment, decision ⚫︎裁判 (さいばん) Translation: trial, judgment ⚫︎判子 (はんこ) Translation: seal, stamp

The kanji 判 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is a radical called 刀 (katana, sword) that represents "cut" or "separate." The right side is 半 (han, half), which provides the sound and originally related to "half" or "divide." Together, the character signifies "to divide" or "to separate" in order to make a judgment or differentiate between things, originally associated with cutting or cleaving something to make a decision. The meaning evolved to encompass the broader concepts of "judge" and "decide."