分

• Reading: ふん
• Romaji: fun
• Kanji breakdown: 分 (fun/pun/bun) — minute, part; composed of 八 (divide) + 刀 (knife)
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯɴ/

Meaning

Minute (unit of time). Also means 'part' or 'portion' in other contexts.

Read as ふん or ぷん depending on the preceding number — いっぷん (1 min), にふん (2 min), さんぷん (3 min), よんぷん (4 min), ごふん (5 min). The sound changes follow regular patterns but require memorisation. Also used in 十分 (juubun, enough/sufficient) and 自分 (jibun, oneself).

Examples

1. 五分待ってください。 Please wait five minutes.
2. 駅まで歩いて十分です。 It's a ten-minute walk to the station.
3. 授業は五十分です。 The class is fifty minutes long.

Usage Guide

Context: telling time, duration, schedules

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 分 depicts a knife (刀) dividing something (八), meaning 'to divide.' Minutes are divisions of an hour.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal