分散
ぶんさん · bunsan · JLPT N1 · noun
dispersion
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.
散 — 月 (meat) + 攵 (action) + 卄 (hemp fibers)
Originally depicted beating hemp fibers apart with a stick, with 月 (meat/flesh) added later. The core image of separating or scattering things gave rise to meanings like 'scatter,' 'disperse,' and 'loose/leisurely.' The 攵 component signals an action done by hand.