檢

A phono-semantic compound:

木 (“wood, tree”) — semantic element, often used in characters related to objects, records, or structural functions.

僉 (cheom/jian, “all, together”) — phonetic element, providing sound.

Original sense: to check or examine wooden tallies or documents (linked with wooden slips used for records).

Later extended to:

- inspection, examination (檢査);

- investigation (搜檢, 조사);

- sealing or closing (봉하다).

檢査 (검사) — inspection, examination

搜檢 (수검) — search, investigation

檢閱 (검열) — review, inspection

檢察 (검찰) — prosecution, public prosecutor’s office

自我檢討 (자아검토) — self-examination, self-reflection

In Korean news usage, 檢 is often shorthand for 檢察 (prosecution, prosecutor’s office).

Example: “檢, ○○ 前 회장 2심 구형” - “The prosecution demanded a 5-year sentence for former chairman ○○ in the second trial.”

The sealing sense (“to close, to seal”) is less common today but survives in historical/legal contexts.