音読み: サイ
訓読み: たつ・さばく
画数: 12
部首: ころも（衣）
Meaning
Judge / Decide / Cut / Tailor
Conjugation
Tap for 裁つ (cut; tailor)
Tap for 裁く (judge; decide)
- 裁判 — trial / judgment
- 裁縫 — sewing / needlework
- 裁断 — cutting cloth / judgment
- 制裁 — sanction / punishment
- 裁く — to judge / to handle (a case)
- 仲裁 — arbitration / mediation
- 裁量 — discretion / judgment
- 総裁 — president / governor-general
裁 combines 衣 (clothing) with the phonetic element 𠬝 (サイ). Its earliest sense was cutting and tailoring cloth, but the concept of "cutting apart" extended metaphorically into passing judgment and making decisions. In modern Japanese, it bridges daily crafts like sewing with legal authority.