部分
ぶぶん · bubun · JLPT N3 · noun
part
🍕 部分 = section + divide: a part you get by splitting the whole
部 means section or department, as in 部屋 (room). 分 means to divide, as in 分ける (to split). Divide something into sections and each piece is a 部分, a part. Pizza works as the hook: cut it into slices and each slice is one part.
部 — 阝(邑) right + 咅 phonetic
The right-side 阝 derives from 邑 (city/settlement), giving the meaning of a region, district, or administrative division. The left side 咅 supplies the sound. Originally referring to a settlement, the meaning broadened to 'part,' 'section,' or 'ministry.'
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.