漢字Kanji · in Textiles, Plants & Food
裁: tailor, judge
Also: decision, cut out (pattern)
- 𢦏(form)
- 衣clothes(meaning)
衣 carries the meaning · 𢦏 is drawn in
Small seal · Qin Today
Small seal: Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Three readings, and the words that use each
サイsai · on'yomi · in compounds
- 裁判さいばんtrial, judgment
- 裁判所さいばんしょcourt, courthouse
- 裁縫さいほうsewing
- 裁量さいりょうdiscretion
- 洋裁ようさいdressmaking
- 制裁せいさいrestraint, sanctions, punishment
- 体裁ていさいappearance, format, decency
- 独裁どくさいdictatorship, despotism
- 総裁そうさいpresident
- 仲裁するちゅうさいするarbitrate, intercede
たつtatsu · kun'yomi · on its own
- 裁つたつcut [v.t.]
さばくsabaku · kun'yomi
- 裁くさばくjudge [v.t.]
Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Phono-semantic compound (形聲)衣 (meaning) + 𢦏 (sound)
However, the phonetic component has a reference to a blade and an arrow, hence to the concept of cutting (e.g., fabric).
Source: Wiktionary, 裁 (rev. 92739314), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Dress for the occasion! This radical represents the protective layers we wear and the social identity that fine clothing provides.”
Connections
Also built on 𢦏
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · cái
Same form: 裁 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 裁 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 裁 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin cái most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.