分野
ぶんや · bunya · JLPT N3 · noun
field
🌾 分野 = divide + field: a field split off into its own area
分 means to divide or share out, and 野 means an open field or plain. A big plain of land divided into separate plots gives you 分野, a field or area of activity, like a subject of study or a line of work.
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.
野 — 里 (village) + 予 (phonetic)
Originally written 埜 (forest 林 over earth 土), depicting wild land beyond cultivated fields. The modern form 野 combines 里 (village/settled land) with 予 as a phonetic component, keeping the meaning of open country, wilderness, or untamed.