判事
はんじ · hanji · JLPT N2 · noun
judge
⚖️ 判 = judge, decide + 事 = matter: a judge decides matters
判 also appears in 判決 (verdict), the decision a judge hands down. 判事 combines the decide-character with the matter-character, so the word names the person who decides legal cases.
判 — half 半 (phonetic) + knife 刂 (semantic)
判 combines 半 'half' with 刂 'knife', literally suggesting cutting something in two. The knife radical gives the meaning of dividing or judging, while 半 provides the sound. From 'splitting apart' it extended to 'discriminate, judge, decide'.
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).