The character 分 — “minute”: how to write it and what it means
minute; divide
The Chinese character 分 is read fēn and means “minute; divide”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 分
分 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 分, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 分 is made of
On top, 八 “divide”; below, 刀 “knife”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 分
- 分钟minute (duration)HSK 1
- 分开separate; split upHSK 3
- 得分score points; scoreHSK 3
- 十分very, extremelyHSK 4
- 部分partHSK 4
- 分为be divided intoHSK 4
- 分数grade, scoreHSK 4
- 分手break up (couple)HSK 5
- 分离separate, partHSK 5
- 充分sufficient, fullHSK 5
- 分享share (with others)HSK 5
- 分别separately; partHSK 5
- 过分excessiveHSK 5
- 学分credit (academic)HSK 5
- 分配distribute, allocateHSK 5
- 水分moisture; exaggerationHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 分?
分 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 分 mean?
分 means “minute; divide”. It appears in 分钟 (“minute”), 分开 (“separate”), 得分 (“score points”), 十分 (“very”).
How do you pronounce 分?
分 is read fēn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 分 have?
4 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 分 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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