決

けつ · ketsu · JLPT N1 · noun

decision

🗳️ 決 = water 氵 + break-through 夬: a decision breaks through doubt, like a dam giving way.

夬 means to cut through or part something. With the water radical, it suggests a dam bursting open, so deciding is breaking through doubt. The vote sense follows: a group reaches a決 by breaking the deadlock.

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