分
Meanings
1
Standard counter for minutes. Used with numbers to express durations or clock times.
Class starts in five minutes.
It's a ten-minute walk from here to the station.
2
fun (unit of weight, 1/10 monme)
Historical Japanese weight unit, equal to one tenth of a 匁 (monme), about 0.375 grams. Rare in modern everyday use; encountered mainly in historical or traditional contexts.
Gold coins from the Edo period were called ichibu-bankin (one-bu gold coins).
Usage patterns
- 〈数〉分かかるto take ... minutes
The meeting took 30 minutes.
- 〈数〉分待つto wait for ... minutes
Please wait 5 more minutes.
- 〈数〉分遅れるto be ... minutes late
The bus arrived 10 minutes late.
- 〈数〉分前に... minutes before/ago
There was a phone call 5 minutes ago.
- 〈数〉分後に... minutes later/after
We will depart in 10 minutes.