分（ふん、fun）
- minute

The Japanese word 分 can have multiple meanings, primarily related to division, portion, understanding, and minutes. The meaning depends heavily on the context in which it's used. The kanji 分 (pronounced 分) itself means "part," "share," "minute," or "to understand/divide." It functions as both a noun and a verb.

⚫︎五分 Translation: Five minutes ⚫︎このケーキを四分する Translation: Divide this cake into four (parts). ⚫︎意味が分からない Translation: I don't understand the meaning.

⚫︎ When referring to time, 分 (pronounced ふん or ぷん depending on the number before it) means "minute." ⚫︎ It can also mean "part" or "share," as in dividing something. ⚫︎ As a verb, 分かる (wakaru) means "to understand" or "to know." This is its most common verb form. ⚫︎ It's important to pay attention to the surrounding words and context to determine the precise meaning.

⚫︎ The kanji is 分. ⚫︎ The hiragana reading is ふん or ぷん when referring to minutes. ⚫︎ The verb form 分かる is always written with the kanji 分 and hiragana かる. ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in okurigana for common usage.

⚫︎ For "minute": 秒（びょう - second） , 時間（じかん - hour） ⚫︎ For "part": 部分（ぶぶん - part, portion） , 一部（いちぶ - a part） ⚫︎ For "to understand": 理解する（りかいする - to understand, formal） , わかる（wakaru - to know, to understand - informal)

⚫︎ For "to understand": 分からない（wakaranai - to not understand) ⚫︎ For "part": 全体（ぜんたい - whole, entirety）

宿題を３０分で終わらせた。 ・Translation: I finished the homework in 30 minutes. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 分 to indicate a unit of time (minutes).

この問題を分かりやすく説明してください。 ・Translation: Please explain this problem in an easy-to-understand way. ・Explanation: This sentence utilizes the verb form, 分かりやすく, which is the adverbial form of 分かる, meaning "to understand".

The kanji 分 is composed of the radical 八 (eight) and 刀 (sword). The character originally depicted splitting or dividing something with a knife or sword, which illustrates the core concepts of the word, i.e., "to divide", "part", etc. The subsequent meanings of the word, i.e., "understanding" and "minutes", are an extension of the primary meaning.