Word
試し
Meaning in Englishtrial, test, attempt
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
試し means a trial or test used to judge quality, suitability, or reaction; it denotes an act of trying something to verify or experience it, often as a preliminary or demonstrative occasion.
Main meanings
- an evaluation by trying something to determine its qualities
- a demonstrative sample or free trial of a product or service
- an initial attempt or venture, a cautious run before committing
- a figurative test of character or resolve in literature or speech
How to use it
Used as a noun to denote a trial, test, or tentative attempt; it appears in neutral to polite registers; common formations include お試し (otameshi) for a free trial or sample, and 試しに (tameshi ni) to preface a tentative action.
Variants and close terms
- お試し — otameshi: trial use or sample
- 試み — kokoromi: attempt
- 見本 — mihon: sample
- チャレンジ — charenji: challenge
Composition
- 試: to test, to try; し: nominalizing suffix forming a noun; together they denote the act of trying or a trial
Etymology
From the verb 試す to try with the nominalizing suffix し; the noun 試し arises from this relation, and the common kun-reading for the noun is tameshi.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Word
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Kanji