What is the Kanji for "Decide" and "Cut off"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Decide" and "Cut off", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Decide" and "Cut off" is "断".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Ta" and "Kotowa".

Its onyomi reading is "Dan".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "斤" means "Loaf", "Loaves", "Bread loaf counter", and "Axe" and can be read as "Kin". And The kanji "米" means "Rice" and can be read as "Mai", "Bei", and "Kome".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "断" mean in japanese?

"断" means "Decide" and "Cut off".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fifth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

判断: "Judgment". The Japanese verbal noun '判断 (はんだん)' means 'judgment'. This term refers to the act of making a decision or forming an opinion based on available information or evidence. It implies the use of reasoning and analysis to come to a conclusion. For example: I made a judgment on the matter - (その問題について判断した). The team leader's judgment was sound - (チームリーダーの判断は的確だった).

横断歩道: "Crosswalk". The Japanese noun '横断歩道(おうだんほどう)' refers to a designated area on a road where pedestrians can safely cross. It is marked by painted lines or signs to indicate the crossing point. Pedestrians are expected to use the crosswalk when available, as it alerts drivers to the presence of people crossing. For example: I always use the crosswalk to get to the other side of the street - (道を渡るときは、いつも横断歩道を使います).

断る: "Refuse". The Japanese verb '断る (ことわる)' means 'to refuse'. This verb is used to politely decline or turn down a request, invitation, or offer. It can also be used to reject or deny something. The verb carries a nuance of apologizing or expressing regret for the refusal. For example: I refused the invitation - (招待を断りました). She refused to lend me the book - (彼女は本を貸してくれないと断った).

横断: "Crossing". The Japanese verbal noun '横断 (おうだん)' means 'crossing'. It refers to the action of going across or over something, such as a street, a bridge, or a field. This noun is often used in the context of road crossing or pedestrian crossing. For example: I crossed the street - (道路を横断した). Pedestrian crossing - (横断歩道).

診断: "Diagnosis". The verbal noun '診断 (しんだん)' refers to the act of diagnosing or identifying the cause of a problem, often in a medical context. It describes the process of carefully examining symptoms and evidence to determine the nature of an illness or issue. For example: The doctor made an accurate diagnosis - (医者は正確な診断をした). The test results will help with the diagnosis - (検査結果が診断に役立つだろう).

決断: "Decision". The Japanese noun '決断 (けつだん)' means 'decision'. It refers to the act of making a choice or coming to a conclusion after careful consideration. This word is commonly used when describing an important or significant choice that has been made. For example: She made a difficult decision - (彼女は難しい決断をした). The CEO had to make a decision about the company's future - (社長は会社の将来について決断しなければならなかった).

断つ: "Cut off". The verb '断つ (たつ)' means 'to cut off'. It is used to describe the action of severing or disconnecting something, either physically or metaphorically. This verb can be used in various contexts, such as cutting a rope, halting a relationship, or interrupting an activity. For example: Cut off his hair - (彼の髪の毛を断つ). The speech was cut off - (演説が断たれた).

中断: "Interrupt". The Japanese verbal noun '中断 (ちゅうだん)' means 'interrupt'. This noun refers to the action of stopping something temporarily, breaking off from an activity or process. It can be used to describe interrupting a conversation, a work task, or any other ongoing activity. For example: I interrupted my work to take a break - (仕事を中断してbreak を取りました). The meeting was interrupted by a phone call - (会議が電話で中断された).

断水: "Water outage". The Japanese verbal noun '断水 (だんすい)' means 'water outage'. It refers to a situation where the water supply is interrupted or cut off, often due to repairs, maintenance, or other issues with the water infrastructure. This can occur in homes, buildings, or entire neighborhoods. Examples: There is a water outage in our area today - (我が地域で今日断水があります). The building has experienced a prolonged water outage - (その建物は長期の断水に見舞われている).

油断: "Carelessness". The Japanese verbal noun '油断 (ゆだん)' means 'carelessness'. It refers to a lack of vigilance or attentiveness, letting your guard down, and not being fully aware of your surroundings or the situation. This can lead to mistakes or accidents. For example: His carelessness led to him getting into an accident - (彼の油断が事故につながった). Don't let your guard down - (油断するな).

断定: "Conclusion". The verbal noun '断定 (だんてい)' means 'conclusion'. It is used to describe the act of making a definite judgment or decision based on available information. It implies a firm conviction or assertion about something. For example: I have made a definite conclusion - (私は断定した). The conclusion was reached after careful analysis - (慎重な分析の末に断定された).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "だ" is read as "da". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". The hiragana "た" is read as "ta". The hiragana "こ" is read as "ko". The hiragana "と" is read as "to". And The hiragana "わ" is read as "wa".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.