Testing and trying with 試
試 means “to test”, “to try”, or “to examine”. It refers to the act of actually trying out something new or a new set of conditions to verify the results, whether they are good or bad, or whether they are true or false.
Etymology
This kanji is a phono-semantic compound comprised of 言 (speech) as the semantic component and 式 (pattern) as the phonetic component, giving the on-reading シ.
Contests
試合 (Match)
試合 refers to a competition in which participants compete against one another in sports, martial arts, or games to determine a winner.
It combines 試 (test) with 合 (meet) to show a competitive meeting.
Members of the judo team plea for Takeo to help them in their upcoming match against a rival high school. Takeo quickly accepts their request, but Sunakawa considers how this will impact Takeo’s new relationship with Yamato.
- 砂川:
- 「おまえ試合の稽古するんだったら しばらく大和さんに会えなくなっちゃうんじゃない？ １か月くらい？」
- “When you're training for the match, won't you be unable to see Yamato for a while? For about a month.”
Here, 稽古 is used to describe training for a judo match.
Exams
追試 (Retest)
追試 is primarily an abbreviation for 追試験. It refers to an exam administered at a later date for students who were unable to take the original exam due to unavoidable circumstances, such as illness or an accident.
It combines 追 (afterward) with 試 (test) to show a later test.
After failing an exam, Nako has to take a make-up exam. Bocchi provides her notes to help Nako learn the material better. After the test, Nako finds Bocchi and their friends waiting for her.
- ぼっち:
- 「なこちゃん！」
- “Nako-chan!”
- なこ:
- 「なんだ皆 待っててくれたのか」
- “Hey everyone. You've been waiting for me?”
- アル:
- 「いいから追試は？」
- “Never mind that, how'd the make-up exam go?”
Test Runs
試食 (Food tasting)
試食 refers to trying a dish or food item. It involves checking the taste and quality of a product or inviting customers to sample it as part of a promotional campaign.
It combines 試 (test) with 食 (eat) to show try out eating something.
Momoko notices the trio Colors pestering a television cameraman. She intervenes to help him, telling the girls that she is heading to her family’s bakery to have taste-testing of her new type of rice ball.
- ももか:
- 「カラーズちゃんにも試食してほしかったんだけどなー」
- “I wanted you all to do some taste-testing as well, but...”
- 「テレビがあるなら仕方ないかぁ」
- “If it's television, it can't be helped, huh?”
- “I wanted you all to do some taste-testing as well, but...”