判

pàn
#718 most
frequent character
discriminate, judge, sentence
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

判 pàn shows 刂, a knife, splitting something in half; 半 bàn 'half' works both as the meaning part and the sound. That gave the first meaning, 'to split in two'. From splitting came 'to differentiate', then 'to judge' and 'to criticize'.

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Example Sentences

法官正在判这个案件。
fǎguān zhèngzài pàn zhègè ànjiàn 。
The judge is currently judging this case.
他认为我没有判对。
tārènwéi wǒ méiyǒu pàn duì 。
He thinks I did not judge correctly.
我们应该判清楚事情的真相。
wǒmen yīnggāi pàn qīngchǔ shìqíng de zhēnxiàng 。
We should clearly judge the truth of the matter.

Words with similar meanings

裁决cáijué
decide
裁决 is often used in a legal context and implies a formal decision, whereas 判 can be broader and more general.
判断pànduàn
determine
判断 emphasizes the process of determining or discerning, while 判 can imply a final judgment or ruling.

Homophones

HSK 6
畔pàn
bank, field-path
盼pàn
to hope
叛pàn
to betray, to rebel, to revolt
板pàn
to catch sight of in a doorway (old)

Words Starting With 判

判断pàn duàn
to decide; to determine
判决pàn jué
judgment (by a court of law)

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