字Study Chinese Characters
分

fēn to divide

4 strokes

分 (fēn) is a Chinese character meaning “to divide”. It is written from 八 (eight) and 刀 (knife), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.

Build the character for “to divide”

Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.

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Learn this character

Structure

八 + 刀

Top–bottom structure

  • 八 eight · bā meaning
  • 刀 knife · dāo meaning

Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱八刀；笔画核验 八2 + 刀2 = 4）

Memory aid

八 on top is already two strokes pulling apart, and 刀 below is the knife that makes the cut. Split it with a knife — that is 分.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

4 strokes

In real words

  • 分开fēn kāito separate; to part; to divide up分 = fēn
  • 十分shí fēnvery; fully分 = fēn
  • 分布fēn bùto be distributed; to be spread over an area分 = fēn
  • 分析fēn xīto analyse; analysis分 = fēnHSK 5
  • 分歧fēn qídifference; divergence; disagreement分 = fēn
  • 分水岭fēn shuǐ lǐngwatershed; a dividing line between two stages or outcomes分 = fēn
  • 划分huà fēnto divide; to demarcate分 = fēn
  • 分享fēn xiǎngto share (joy, benefits, experience)分 = fēn
  • 分泌fēn mìto secrete; secretion分 = fēn
  • 分秒fēn miǎominutes and seconds; every moment分 = fēn
  • 分配fēn pèito distribute; to allocate; to assign分 = fēn
  • 分钟fēn zhōngminute分 = fēn
Go deeper

All readings

fēn main reading

to divide

to divide; to separate; to distribute; minute (of time); point (of a score)

把整体变成几部分；也用作时间的分钟和分数的单位。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 分开fēn kāito separate; to part; to divide up分 = fēn
  • 十分shí fēnvery; fully分 = fēn
  • 分布fēn bùto be distributed; to be spread over an area分 = fēn
  • 分析fēn xīto analyse; analysis分 = fēnHSK 5
  • 分歧fēn qídifference; divergence; disagreement分 = fēn
  • 分水岭fēn shuǐ lǐngwatershed; a dividing line between two stages or outcomes分 = fēn
  • 划分huà fēnto divide; to demarcate分 = fēn
  • 分享fēn xiǎngto share (joy, benefits, experience)分 = fēn
  • 分泌fēn mìto secrete; secretion分 = fēn
  • 分秒fēn miǎominutes and seconds; every moment分 = fēn
  • 分配fēn pèito distribute; to allocate; to assign分 = fēn
  • 分钟fēn zhōngminute分 = fēn

Rare readings, not taught: fèn

Other characters with these parts

八 → 交公六共兴兵其具

刀 → 刃切初叨召券剪留

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 分 mean?

分 (fēn) means to divide; to separate; to distribute; minute (of time); point (of a score).

How do you pronounce 分?

It is pronounced fēn.

What parts is 分 made of?

八 (eight) and 刀 (knife), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱八刀；笔画核验 八2 + 刀2 = 4）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 分 have?

4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 分?

刀. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.

What words use 分?

Common ones are 分开 and 十分. The reading of 分 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.