裁さばく

さ

ば

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

judge; try; decide a case

Used for formal judgment in a court, or for making a fair decision in a dispute. Implies authority and impartiality.

裁さい判ばん官かんが事じ件けんを裁さばく。
The judge tries the case.
彼かれは争あらそいを公こう平へいに裁さば

い

た

。

He judged the dispute fairly.

Written forms

裁さばくUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling for judging, trying, or deciding a case.
さばくUsage1%

Kanji

裁tailor, judge, decision

Similar words

判はん断だんする
判断する is a general term for making a judgment or decision in any context, while 裁く specifically implies formal or authoritative judgment, often in legal or dispute-resolution settings.
審判しんぱんする
審判する is used for refereeing or umpiring in sports, or for formal adjudication, whereas 裁く is broader and can refer to judging people or cases with authority.

Etymology

The kanji 裁 carries meanings of 'judge' and 'cut/decide'. The verb 裁く (さばく) is a native Japanese word with the same root as 捌く (さばく, 'to handle skillfully'), but the exact historical derivation is uncertain.