判決
はんけつ · hanketsu · JLPT N1 · noun
judgment
⚖️ 判 judge + 決 decide = the judge's decision: a judgment or sentence
判 means judge or judgment, and 決 means decide or settle. Together they name a court's formal ruling, such as a sentence.
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'.