分類
ぶんるい · bunrui · JLPT N2 · noun
categorization
📂 分 (divide) + 類 (kind) = dividing things into kinds
分 means divide and 類 means kind or category. Together they name the act of sorting items into groups by type. Think of 分 as a knife that splits a pile into kinds.
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.