時間割

じかんわり · jikanwari · JLPT N2 · noun

timetable

🗓️ 時間 (time) + 割 (divide) = time divided into slots, a schedule

時間割 splits the day's 時間 (time) into 割 (divided) blocks, one per class. Think 'time cut into slots.'

割 — 害 (harm, phonetic) + 刂 (knife radical)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the knife radical 刂 gives the meaning 'cut,' while 害 supplies the sound. The original sense was to cut or slice with a blade, which extended to 'divide' and 'allot a share.' Modern uses like 割爱 (give up something dear) preserve this idea of cutting away.

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