decision; judgment; resolution
A concise, formal noun for a decision or judgment, especially one made after deliberation. In everyday speech, 決断 or 判断 is often more natural; 断 commonly appears in set phrases like 断を下す and 断を仰ぐ.
After much hesitation, he made a decision.
I will reply after seeking the president's decision.
I decided to seek my boss's judgment on this matter.
断 is a same-sounding but unrelated word meaning 'to cut off' or 'decision', not connected to steps or levels like 段.
judgment; decision; conclusion · divination; fortune-telling · judgment (mathematics)
diagnosis; medical examination
decision; determination; resolution
without permission; unauthorized · without notice; without prior warning
cutting; severing; sectioning · amputation · disconnection; cutoff; severance of a connection
Sino-Japanese reading だん of 断. The kanji is conventionally associated with cutting off and, by extension, deciding or settling a matter; the detailed historical development is not specified.
abandon; give up; renounce
blocking; cutting off; isolation
prohibition; interdiction · forbidden; prohibited
firmly; resolutely; absolutely · definitely; absolutely · by far; far and away; hands down
division; splitting; breaking up
fragment; scrap; piece; shred
cross section; section; cut surface · profile; cross-section; aspect
fault; dislocation · gap; discrepancy; divide
conclusion; decision; judgment; declaration · affirmative (linguistics)
one's own judgment; arbitrary decision; acting alone · dogmatism
firm; determined; resolute
extinction; dying out; discontinuation · severance; rupture; breaking off; generation gap
fasting; fast
thermal insulation; heat insulation
absolutely; decidedly; positively
running through north-south; cutting across; travelling across · cutting vertically; sectioning longitudinally
intermittence; being intermittent; occurring on and off
cutting; trimming · judgment; decision
wire break; disconnection; burn-out
outrageous; preposterous; scandalous; inexcusable
constant; persistent; unremitting; ceaseless · indecisiveness · usual; normal; everyday; habitual; ordinary