It is a phono-semantic compound character composed of the semantic component 水 (water) and the phonetic component 夬 (meaning "quick" or "decisive").
Originally, since it has the water radical 水, it carried meanings related to "opening a waterway" or "a water path breaking through." Over time, its meaning extended metaphorically to "decide," "judge," or "carry out (an action)." Nowadays, it is used in the sense of making a decision or judgment rather than its original water-related meaning.

It is used in words related to determination and resolution, such as 결단(決斷) meaning "decision" or "resolution."

Characters

Words

Vocabulary

shell, husk, outer covering, casing

palace hall, main pavilion, large official building

mother

every, each, always

people, populace, commoners, citizens

breath, air, energy, vital force, spirit, vigor, atmosphere

long, eternal, everlasting

to seek, to request, to strive for, to beg, to ask

to decide, to determine, to judge

to govern, to rule, to cure, to treat (illness), to control, to regulate, to punish

situation, condition, state of affairs, furthermore, let alone

spring, fountain, source of water

law, rule, method, principle

wave, ripple, flow, undulation

ocean, vast sea

to wash, sprinkle, scatter water, purify

to wash, cleanse, rinse

Explore the meaning, etymology and usage of this Chinese character. Learn its radical and how it is applied in Korean language.

Chinese character

Explore 214 Chinese radicals and their derived characters. Sort by radical or stroke count, and view the complete list of official Hanja radicals.

Chinese characters (Hanja)

Chinese characters dictionary

決

Etymology

Usage in Korean

Characters next to each other in the list

References