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7
分ける

To Divide Something

Meaning

To Divide Something, To Separate Something, To Share, To Classify

Word Type

transitive verb, ichidan verb

Explanation

This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an う (in this case る) sound, you know this word is a verb. One of the kanji meanings is divide, which makes this to divide something or to separate something. Depending on the context, it can also mean to share or to classify. Be careful not to confuse this with 分かる, a similar word with a different meaning. Think of it this way: You "separate" what you care (ける) about from everything else. You want to separate those special things you care about from all the other things you don't care about.

Reading

わける

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You already know this reading from 分かる, but here’s a mnemonic in case you forgot: Whenever you need to divide something, you can’t help screaming "WAAAAAAAAAHHHH" (わ). You hate having to divide things, or people, so you always end up screaming "WAAAAAAAAAHHHH" in agony.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 二つに分ける

    to divide into two

    グループに分ける

    to divide into groups

    三回に分ける

    to divide into three

  • 大きく分ける

    to classify broadly

    こまかく分ける

    to classify in detail, to split precisely

    うまく分ける

    to divide well

  • それを分ける

    to divide that

    人を分ける

    to divide people up

    これを分ける

    to divide this

Context Sentences

パスタを二人で分ける。

We split the pasta between two people.

大学用のノートとプライベートのノートを分けよう。

Let's separate university notebooks from your private notebooks.

ピザを半分に分けるなら、大きい方を下さい。

If you split the pizza, could you give me the bigger half?

Kanji Composition