判子
はんこ · hanko · JLPT N2 · noun
sealing wax
🖋️ 判 = seal or stamp, 子 = small object: a little seal you press to sign
判 (ハン) means stamp or seal, and 子 (コ) marks a small object. Hanko is the small personal seal pressed onto documents in place of a signature.
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'.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.