分数
ぶんすう · bunsuu · JLPT N2 · noun
fraction
➗🍕 分数 = 分 (divide, split) + 数 (number): a number made by dividing things up
Split a whole into parts, then count the parts: 分 means divide and 数 means number. A fraction is a number formed by division. Sounds like bun-suu, like 'boon sue'.
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.
数 — 婁 (lóu, phonetic) + 攵 (action radical)
数 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 攵 (a hand holding a stick) suggests an action, originally tallying or counting by striking marks. The left side 婁 supplies the sound. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to count' to 'number' and 'several'.