分 meaning in English
to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate
Meaning of 分
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to divide; to separate
- to distribute; to allocate
- to distinguish (good and bad)
- (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2])
- fraction
- one tenth (of certain units)
- unit of length equivalent to 0.33 cm
- minute (unit of time)
- part
- share
- ingredient
- component
How to use 分
分 (fēn) means to divide or share, and it is also a common unit: minutes, points on a test, and cents of money. It appears in many everyday words like 分钟 (fēnzhōng) and 十分 (shífēn). Example: 我们分一下这个蛋糕吧。(Wǒmen fēn yíxià zhège dàngāo ba.) Let's split this cake.
The top of 分 is 八 (bā), two strokes splitting apart, and the bottom is 刀 (dāo), a knife. A knife cutting something into two pieces gives you the idea of dividing.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 力 (lì) instead of 刀 (dāo). In 分, the second stroke of 刀 does not poke out above the hook. Also remember that 部分 is usually read bùfen with a neutral tone in mainland speech.
分 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
分 fēn · to divide · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 分.
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 部分 | bùfen | part; portion; piece; Taiwan pr. [bu4fen4] |
| 一部分 | yī bùfen | portion; part of |
| 十分 | shífēn | very; completely |
| 分开 | fēnkāi | to separate; to part |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
| 分数 | fēnshù | (exam) grade; mark |
| 分别 | fēnbié | to part; to leave each other; to distinguish; to tell apart |
| 得分 | défēn | to score a point (in a competition, test etc); score; rating; grade |
| 分配 | fēnpèi | to distribute; to assign |
| 分组 | fēn zǔ | to divide into groups; group (formed from a larger group) |
| 分手 | fēnshǒu | to part company; to split up |
Questions about 分
What does 分 mean?
分 (fēn) means "to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate" and is used as a noun, measure word and verb.
How do you write 分?
分 is made of 1 character: 分 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 分 an HSK word?
Yes. 分 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 分 and 分钟 for minutes?
Use 分 when telling clock time, as in 三点十分 (sān diǎn shí fēn), 3:10. Use 分钟 for a length of time, as in 十分钟 (shí fēnzhōng), ten minutes.
How is 分 used with money and test scores?
In money, 分 is one cent, the smallest unit after 元 and 角. For scores, 分 means points, as in 我考了九十分 (wǒ kǎo le jiǔshí fēn), I got 90 points.