test; trial; experiment; exam
Primarily a bound element used in compounds such as 試合, 試験, 試練, and 試み. As a standalone noun it is rare and mostly literary or technical.
The character 試 is often used in compounds like 試験 (exam) and 試合 (match).
この実験は単なる試に過ぎない。
This experiment is merely a trial.
trial; test run; attempt
trial calculation; preliminary estimate; estimation
trial listening; audition
trying on clothes; fitting
sampling food; tasting; trying
preview; private showing
mock exam; practice test
test drive; test ride; trial ride
trial run; test run
sample; specimen; test piece
sampling a drink; tasting
trial; trying out; test use
reagent
trial manufacture; experimental production
replication; verification; reproduction · supplementary exam; makeup exam
offering something free as a promotion; providing a free sample
test firing; trial shooting
touchstone (assaying tool) · touchstone; test; litmus test
test drive; test run; trial run
prospecting; trial digging; test excavation
tentative plan; draft proposal
interview; examination; questioning
trying out a musical instrument; test-playing
essay; tentative assumption
graduate school entrance exam
The kanji 試 is a phono-semantic compound with 言 (speech) and 式 (form, rule), originally meaning 'to test by words or rules'. The reading し is the on'yomi.