分

fēn

Pinyin
fēn
Pinyin (Plain)
fen
Tone
1
Strokes
4
Radical
刀
Readings
fēnfenTone: 1to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of certain units); unit of length equivalent to 0.33 cm; minute (unit of time); minute (angular measurement unit); a point (in sports or games); 0.01 yuan (unit of money)Order: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 324 682 Q 328 610 221 489 Q 170 440 94 376 Q 85 372 96 368 Q 144 368 253 455 Q 331 533 390 611 Q 399 623 405 627 Q 414 633 412 643 Q 411 653 399 667 Q 365 701 331 697 Q 322 696 324 682 Z", "M 448 795 Q 506 765 551 690 Q 710 426 782 412 Q 839 412 959 425 Q 984 428 984 434 Q 984 441 960 448 Q 792 500 734 551 Q 662 611 551 774 Q 524 813 479 815 Q 448 816 445 808 Q 441 798 448 795 Z", "M 434 376 Q 510 395 575 405 Q 600 408 604 400 Q 617 378 606 323 Q 584 169 544 104 Q 526 71 498 76 Q 461 88 427 101 Q 402 108 420 85 Q 478 37 507 0 Q 532 -27 555 -3 Q 592 25 617 74 Q 647 132 663 308 Q 669 369 690 401 Q 703 416 697 427 Q 687 440 630 465 Q 608 475 586 460 Q 559 444 456 421 Q 353 396 266 390 Q 245 389 242 379 Q 241 369 268 356 Q 296 337 320 346 Q 354 356 388 364 L 434 376 Z", "M 388 364 Q 388 205 153 38 Q 144 31 151 27 Q 158 24 170 28 Q 228 47 279 83 Q 366 138 437 282 Q 450 304 465 327 Q 474 336 468 347 Q 462 357 434 376 C 410 393 389 394 388 364 Z"]
Meaning
The character **“分” (fēn/fèn)** mainly means “to divide, separate, or share” and by extension “a part or portion” of something. It is also a common **measure word** meaning “one cent” (money), “one minute” (time), or “one tenth” of a unit (like 0.1 in scores).
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/26/2026, 5:39:18 AM

Usage

The character **分 (fēn)** is very common in everyday Mandarin and beginners see it early. Its basic idea is “to divide” or “a part.” As a verb it appears in words like **分开** (to separate), **分享** (to share), **分手** (to break up), and **分配** (to distribute/assign). As a noun or measure it means a “portion” or “share,” as in **一部分** (one part, using 部分) and **得分** (score, points gained). Learners also meet it in the sense of “difference/contrast” with **分别** (separately; to distinguish). 分 is also widely used as a **measure word for small units**. For time it means “minute,” as in **三点十分** (3:10, literally “three o’clock ten minutes”). For money it’s **one-hundredth of a yuan** (like a cent), though in everyday transactions people more often talk about 块 and 毛; 分 shows up more in written prices or set phrases. It also means “one-tenth” in school grading and percentages, e.g. **一百分** (100 points; full marks). In all these uses, the core idea remains “a smaller part of a whole.”

Handwriting Notes

分 in handwriting usually looks a bit narrower and looser than in printed fonts. You’ll see a small “hooked” 点/丷–like top, and the lower part is the knife component 刀, often written with a slightly curved vertical stroke and a short “tail” stroke to the right. The overall feel is of a compact, slightly slanted character with the top and bottom clearly separated: something like a small hat on top of a simple knife shape. In quick writing, the top strokes may merge or simplify, and the bottom right stroke can be very short or almost a flick; some writers make the vertical of 刀 more curved, while others keep it nearly straight. Despite these personal variations in pressure, curvature, and angle, the basic proportions (small top, larger lower part) and the open right side of the character stay recognizable. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such handwritten variants so they can reliably identify 分 even when it’s written quickly or with an individual style.

Description

分 is a common Chinese character meaning “to divide,” “to separate,” or “to share,” and it is also used as a measure word for minutes (of time) and cents (of money). It is pronounced fēn in Mandarin.

Common Words

  • 分钟fēnzhōngminute (unit of time)
  • 分开fēnkāito separate; to divide
  • 分手fēnshǒuto break up (a relationship)
  • 分数fēnshùscore; grade; fraction
  • 分配fēnpèito distribute; to allocate
  • 部分bùfenpart; section
  • 身份shēnfenidentity; status
  • 成分chéngfèncomponent; ingredient
  • 气氛qìfènatmosphere; ambiance
  • 评分píngfēnto grade; to rate; rating
  • 积分jīfēnpoints; accumulated score
  • 股份gǔfènshare; stock
  • 公分gōngfēncentimeter
  • 分离fēnlíto separate; separation
  • 区分qūfēnto distinguish; to differentiate
  • 划分huàfēnto divide; to partition
  • 处分chǔfènto discipline; disciplinary action
  • 打分dǎfēnto grade; to give a score
  • 减分jiǎnfēnto deduct points; to lose marks
  • 加分jiāfēnto add points; extra credit
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