What does 分 mean in Japanese?
分 is the kanji for “minute” in times such as 五分 (gofun, five minutes), and it also means “part” or “share.”
It also forms the everyday verb 分かる (wakaru), to understand.
Reading
On’yomi: ブン (bun), フン (fun), ブ (bu)
Kun’yomi: わ-ける (wa-keru), わ-かる (wa-karu)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 分 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | minute, part, understand |
| Stroke Count | 4 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
For minutes, the reading changes with the number before it: 五分 is ごふん, but 一分 and 三分 are いっぷん and さんぷん, and 十分 is commonly じゅっぷん (also じっぷん). 分かる is often written in hiragana as わかる, and both spellings are common.
Common Words
- 五分（ごふん / gofun） — five minutes
- 自分（じぶん / jibun） — oneself
- 気分（きぶん / kibun） — mood, feeling
- 多分（たぶん / tabun） — probably, maybe
- 分かる（わかる / wakaru） — to understand
- 分ける（わける / wakeru） — to divide, to share
Example Sentences
-
駅まで歩いて五分ぐらいです。
えきまであるいてごふんぐらいです。 / Eki made aruite gofun gurai desu.
It’s about a five-minute walk to the station.
-
すみません、この漢字の読み方が分かりません。
すみません、このかんじのよみかたがわかりません。 / Sumimasen, kono kanji no yomikata ga wakarimasen.
Excuse me, I don’t know how to read this kanji.
-
お菓子をみんなで分けました。
おかしをみんなでわけました。 / Okashi o minna de wakemashita.
We all shared the snacks.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
Be careful with 十分: as a time it means “ten minutes” (じゅっぷん), but read じゅうぶん it means “enough.” 分かる marks the thing understood with が, as in 日本語が分かる (to understand Japanese).
Summary
Learn the ふん and ぷん readings for minutes, and use 分かる for understanding and 分ける for dividing.
Want to study more JLPT N4 kanji by theme? See our JLPT N4 Kanji Study List.