決定
けってい · kettei · JLPT N3 · noun
decision
⚖️ 決定 = decide + settle: you choose, then it stays fixed
決 has the water radical 氵 because it first meant water bursting through a dike, which led to the sense of breaking a deadlock. 定 means to settle or fix in place, as in 予定 (plan). A kettei is a choice that has broken through and then stayed settled.
定 — roof 宀 + 正 (correct/upright, phonetic)
Originally written with 宀 (roof) over 正 (upright/correct), suggesting a household settled and orderly under its roof. Over time 正 simplified to 㐬-like form at the bottom, and the meaning shifted from 'settled home' to the broader senses of 'fix, stable, decide.'