Dividing and portions with 分
The kanji 分 has the core meanings of divide and part.
It begins with the act of separating something into pieces. From there it grows into portions, categories, ingredients, analysis, and even “one’s share” or “one’s own part.”
Etymology
An ideogrammic compound, 分 combines 八 (“to separate”) + 刀 (“knife”), to mean separating something, as with a knife.
Breakdown
分解 (Decomposition)
分解 refers to the act or process of breaking down a single, unified entity into smaller parts or dismantling it into its constituent elements.
It combines 分 (divide) with 解 (separate) to show separating something into pieces.
Hinata dedicates the month of December to giving her home a complete cleaning.
- ひなた:
- 「お父さんがちまちま貯めた新聞…」
- “The old newspapers Dad's been saving forever...”
- 「これをぬるま湯につけてガラスを拭くと油分を分解してピカピカになるんだ」
- “Soak them in warm water and wipe the glass, and they cut through the grease and get it sparkling clean.”
- “The old newspapers Dad's been saving forever...”
Components
成分 (Component)
成分 refer to the elements or materials that make up a substance or product. They are the components that constitute the whole.
It combines 成 (form) with 分 (part) to show the parts that form something.
A client tells Detective Mouri about the condition in which she found her deceased husband. Hearing the details, Conan identifies the likely poison, including the composition, the dosage required to kill, and the internal effects it has on a person. When Ran asks how he knows all this, Conan covers by saying the monster villain on the kid’s TV show he watched explained it.
- 蘭:
- 「随分 丁寧な怪人ね… 毒の成分まで教えてくれるなんて…」
- “What a polite villain... Going so far as to tell the poison's composition...”
- コナン:
- 「そんな怪人いねーよ…」
- “No such monster exists...”
Measures
五分 (Five minutes or fifty percent)
This word has two main meanings depending on how it is pronounced. 五分 is a time interval of “5 minutes” on the clock. 五分 is 50% of the whole, or half.
It combines 五 (five) with 分 (part) to indicate a division into five parts.
At breakfast, Touya teases Sakura for stomping down the stairs like a giant monster. He finishes eating and heads out on his bike to meet his friend Yukito on their way to school. Sakura hurries to eat her breakfast and get her roller blades on, so she can see Yukito, too. When they reach Yukito, he commends Sakura for being up early.
- 桃矢:
- 「怪獣は五分で朝飯食えるからな」
- “Well, monsters can finish breakfast in five minutes.”
Personal Identity
自分 (Oneself)
自分 means oneself, myself, or yourself depending on context. It originally points to one’s own share or allotted part, and from there to the self.
It combines 自 (self) with 分 (part) to show one's own part.
Due to concern about his sister’s ribbon, which seals away her need to attack people for their blood, Kenji takes every opportunity he can to check up on her in at school.
- キョーコ:
- 「休み時間ごとに来ないでって言ってるでしょー、そんなに心配しなくても大丈夫だって！」
- “I'm telling you, you don't need to check up on me every break period. I'll be fine even without you worrying about me!”
- ケンジ:
- 「いや… リボンが緩んだりしてないかと。」
- “No, I'm just checking whether your ribbon's come loose.”
- キョーコ:
- 「それくらい自分でやるよ！」
- “I can handle that much on my own!”
