～分
～ふん · ～fun · JLPT N5 · noun
minutes
⏱️ 分 = to divide: a minute is one divided-off slice of the hour
分 means part or to divide, so a minute is a small part cut from an hour. Read fun after 2, 5, 7, 9 (go-fun = 5 minutes) and pun after 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 (ip-pun, san-pun). Sound hook: five minutes of fun = go-fun.
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.