分 — Minute, Part, Divide, Understand

Meaning

Four strokes. Four meanings. The kanji 分 packs more utility into its compact form than almost any other N5 character: minute (unit of time), part or portion, to divide or separate, and to understand. At first glance this looks like a memory problem. One underlying idea ties everything together.

Etymologically, 分 is a compound ideograph (会意文字) built from two components. 八 sits on top — two strokes spreading outward, a visual image of splitting apart. 刀 (knife) sits below. Together they show a blade cutting something cleanly in two. From that image, all four meanings follow: a cut creates a part; an hour sliced into sixty equal units gives you a minute; and to understand something is to mentally cut through it — to separate its pieces and make sense of them.

Classified as Grade 2 in Japanese elementary school, 分 has just 4 strokes. You will see it every day — on clocks, in conversations about mood, and whenever someone says わかる.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

分 has three on'yomi readings, each with its own area of use:

ブン (bun) — The general reading, appearing in abstract or analytical contexts.

部分ぶぶん (bubun) — part, portion, section
自分じぶん (jibun) — oneself, myself
分析ぶんせき (bunseki) — analysis

フン (fun) — Used for minutes on a clock. This is the reading beginners need first.

三分さんぷん (sanpun) — three minutes (note: euphonic change to ぷん)
何分なんぷん (nanpun) — how many minutes
一分いっぷん (ippun) — one minute

ブ (bu) — A shorter reading, used in words about one's allotted share or a sufficient amount.

十分じゅうぶん (juubun) — sufficient, enough
気分きぶん (kibun) — feeling, mood
分数ぶんすう (bunsuu) — fraction (mathematics)

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

Three native Japanese verbs, all circling the same idea of separating or distinguishing:

わける (wakeru) — to divide, separate, sort. Transitive — you actively split something.

分わける (wakeru) — to divide, to split
分わけ合あう (wakeau) — to share with each other

わかれる (wakareru) — to branch off, to part ways. The intransitive counterpart: things divide on their own.

道みちが分わかれる (michi ga wakareru) — the road forks

わかる (wakaru) — to understand, to be clear. Likely the first kun'yomi reading you will actually use in conversation.

分わかる (wakaru) — to understand
分わかりやすい (wakariyasui) — easy to understand

Common Words & Compounds

分 appears across everyday Japanese in several distinct clusters. Learning them by group makes the readings easier to remember.

Time expressions:

五分ごふん (gofun) — five minutes
三十分さんじゅっぷん (sanjuppun) — thirty minutes, half an hour
十分間じゅっぷんかん (juppunkan) — a span of ten minutes

Parts and portions:

半分はんぶん (hanbun) — half
部分ぶぶん (bubun) — part, section
成分せいぶん (seibun) — ingredient, component
分類ぶんるい (bunrui) — classification

Feelings and self:

自分じぶん (jibun) — oneself
気分きぶん (kibun) — mood, feeling
十分じゅうぶん (juubun) — enough, sufficient

Academic and scientific:

分析ぶんせき (bunseki) — analysis
分数ぶんすう (bunsuu) — fraction
区分くぶん (kubun) — division, category

Example Sentences

いま何時何分なんじなんぷんですか？

Ima nanji nanpun desu ka?

What time is it right now?

電車でんしゃは五分後ごふんごに来きます。

Densha wa gofun go ni kimasu.

The train will come in five minutes.

日本語にほんごが少すこし分わかります。

Nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu.

I understand Japanese a little.

この問題もんだいの意味いみが分わかりません。

Kono mondai no imi ga wakarimasen.

I don't understand the meaning of this problem.

ケーキを半分はんぶんに分わけましょう。

Keeki wo hanbun ni wakemashou.

Let's split the cake in half.

今日きょうは気分きぶんがいいです。

Kyou wa kibun ga ii desu.

I'm in a good mood today.

自分じぶんでやってみてください。

Jibun de yatte mite kudasai.

Please try doing it yourself.

もう十分じゅうぶん食たべました。

Mou juubun tabemashita.

I've already eaten enough.

先生せんせいはその答えこたえを分析ぶんせきしました。

Sensei wa sono kotae wo bunseki shimashita.

The teacher analyzed the answer.

Related Kanji

Memory Tip

Picture a chef holding a knife (刀), cutting a pizza into eight equal slices (八). The top of 分 shows those two strokes spreading outward — the cut opening up. Each slice is a part. The whole job took exactly one minute. A watching customer finally understands the technique. One image, all four meanings.