半
はん · han · JLPT N5 · noun
gram
🌗 han = half: a HANdful is only half of what both hands hold
The kanji 半 is a cow (牛) split down the middle by the two top strokes — the original sense was dividing an ox in two. In time expressions it follows the hour: にじはん = two o'clock + half = half-past two.
半 — 八 (split) + 牛 (ox/cow)
半 originally depicted an ox (牛) being divided in two, shown by the splitting strokes 八 on top. The image of cleaving an ox down the middle gave rise to the meaning 'half' or 'to divide into halves'. The modern sense of 'half' or 'partial' comes directly from this ancient act of splitting.