Meaning

Primary

Part

Alternatives

Portion, Content

Word Type

noun, prefix, suffix

Explanation

This word has the same meaning that you learned with the kanji: part, or portion. By extension, it can also mean content, as in "alcohol content" because that's the portion of alcohol in a drink.

This word is used for fractions, too, as in one third or one quarter. Again, you can see how this links to "parts" and "portions", right?

Reading

ぶん
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This word is usually combined with a word or phrase indicating whose part or portion you’re referring to. That’s probably why this single kanji vocab word uses the on’yomi instead of the kun’yomi reading. Check out the common word combinations to see what we’re talking about!

And when it means part or portion, it's read ぶん. Probably because your buns come in two parts. Ohoho.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • パパの分

    Dad's portion

    のこりの分

    the part left over

    ママの分

    Mom's portion

Context Sentences

それはお父さんの分のアイスクリームだよ。

That's dad's portion of ice cream.

このウィスキーのアルコール分は四十パーセントです。

The alcohol content of this whisky is forty percent.

この市はシアトル市の3分の1の大きさです。

This city is one-third the size of Seattle.

Kanji Composition