分ける

• Reading: わける
• Romaji: wakeru
• Kanji breakdown: 分 (bun/wa) — divide, portion, part
• Pronunciation: /wa.ke.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To divide; to separate; to split into parts. A fundamental verb for distributing or categorising things.

A Group 2 (ichidan) transitive verb. The transitive pair of 分かれる (to branch off, intransitive). Used for physically dividing food or objects (ケーキを分ける), separating categories (グループに分ける), sharing with others (友達に分けてあげる), and distinguishing differences (善悪を分ける). Extremely versatile in daily life.

Examples

1. このケーキを三つに分けてください。 Please divide this cake into three pieces.
2. 生徒を五つのグループに分けた。 I split the students into five groups.
3. 勝敗を分けたのは最後のプレーだった。 It was that last play that decided the winner.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, cooking, organisation

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the kanji 分 (bun/wa), meaning portion or divide. Depicts a knife (刀) cutting something in two (八). One of the oldest verbs in Japanese related to distribution and distinction.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal