部
部 — Section
section, bureau, dept, class, copy, part
On’yomiブ (bu)
Kun’yomi-べ (be)
Stroke order (11 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 部
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一部 | いちぶ ichibu | one part; one portion; one section |
| 幹部 | かんぶ kanbu | management; (executive) staff; leaders |
| 部長 | ぶちょう buchou | head (chief, director) of a section or department; head of a (school) club; head of a (school) team |
| 部分 | ぶぶん bubun | portion; section; part |
| 部門 | ぶもん bumon | division (of a larger group); branch; field |
| 本部 | ほんぶ honbu | headquarters; head office; main office |
Study notes
部 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #36 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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