Japanese kanji 半: half

The idea

半 has 5 strokes; follow the order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Read 半分 as はんぶん and 三時半 as さんじはん. Learn each reading together with the whole word and its meaning.

Examples

• パンの半分はんぶんを朝あさ食たべます。I eat half the bread in the morning.
• 三時半さんじはんに駅えきで会あいましょう。Let’s meet at the station at half past three.
• 半日はんにち図書館としょかんで勉強べんきょうしました。I studied at the library for half a day.
• 半年はんとし日本にほんに住すみました。I lived in Japan for half a year.
• 昼ひるごはんを半分はんぶん残のこしました。I left half of my lunch uneaten.
• 今いまは七時半しちじはんです。It is half past seven now.

Watch out

三時半 is 3:30, a time of day, not a duration of three and a half hours. 半日 means half a day.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 半分 in hiragana.

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   はんぶん

   半分 is read はんぶん; it means half. Remember the reading with the complete word.

2. Write the reading of 三時半 in hiragana.

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   さんじはん

   三時半 is read さんじはん; it means half past three. Remember the reading with the complete word.

3. Complete the missing kanji from this lesson: ＿日（はんにち）.

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   半

   半 completes 半日, read はんにち; the complete expression means half a day.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 半 from memory in stroke order, and read 半分 and 三時半 aloud. Then check their readings and meanings.