Translation guide
The English word "judge" covers several distinct meanings: a legal official, the act of evaluating or deciding, and the act of forming an opinion. Japanese uses different words for each.
A person who presides over a court of law.
The standard term for a judge in a court of law.
The judge handed down the verdict.
A formal term for a judge, often used in official titles.
Supreme Court judge
To act as a judge in a competition, contest, or to evaluate something.
To judge or examine something carefully, often in a competition or for quality.
Judge the entries in a contest.
To judge or decide the outcome, often in sports or disputes.
The referee judges whether it's a goal.
Loanword from English, used in casual or specific contexts like TV shows.
He judges the dance.
To form an opinion or conclusion about someone or something.
To judge, decide, or conclude based on available information.
Please judge the situation and act accordingly.
To evaluate, assess, or appraise someone's ability or value.
It's difficult to judge his ability.
To ascertain, see through, or judge the true nature of something.
To criticize or condemn someone for their actions.
裁判官 (saibankan) specifically means a judge in a court. Using it for a competition judge or to mean 'form an opinion' is incorrect. Use 審査員 (shinsain) for a competition judge, or verbs like 判断する (handan suru) for the action of judging.
判断する (handan suru) is about making a decision or judgment based on facts. 評価する (hyōka suru) is about evaluating worth or quality. Use 判断する for situational decisions, and 評価する for assessing people or things.
Judge his true intentions.
It's easy to judge him for his mistakes.