Origin

The character 判 combines two parts: the left side is 半, which sounds like "han" and serves as a sound hint for the character's pronunciation. The right side is 刂, a small knife or blade radical that indicates this character relates to cutting or dividing. Together, these components suggest the idea of using a blade to cut or divide something in two, which evolved into the meaning of making a judgment or decision — essentially "cutting through" a matter to reach a verdict. The seal or signature sense likely developed because official judgments were marked with stamps or signatures to make them authoritative.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).