The kanji 決 means "to decide," "to determine," "to resolve," or "to fix." It implies making a firm choice, reaching a conclusion, or establishing something definitively. It also carries the nuance of settling a matter or bringing it to a resolution.

・On-yomi (音読み): ケツ (ketsu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): き.める (ki.meru), き.まる (ki.maru)

⚫︎ 決定 (kettei) Translation: Decision; Determination ⚫︎ 決心 (kesshin) Translation: Resolution; Determination ⚫︎ 決める (kimeru) Translation: To decide; to determine

The kanji 決 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). It is composed of the water radical 氵 (sanzui) on the left, which indicates a connection to water or fluids, and the phonetic component 夬 (ketsu) on the right, which contributes the sound and possibly suggests the idea of "cutting" or "separating." The combination suggests the action of "cutting" or "dividing" in a decisive manner, which then developed the meaning of "deciding" or "resolving." The original form of 夬 depicts a hand (represented by the top portion) cutting something (represented by the bottom portion). This action of cutting conveys the idea of finality and resolution.