JLPT N1

部門

ぶもん

class, group, category, department, field, branch

JLPT N1

Character Breakdown

部

Radical: —

門

Radical: —

Meaning and Usage

"部門" (ぶもん) refers to a division or category within a larger organization or system. It is commonly used to indicate departments within companies, categories in competitions, or fields of study.

Common Contexts

You will often see "部門" used in business settings to describe different departments such as sales, marketing, or technical divisions. It is also used in contests or awards to distinguish different categories or sections.

Collocations and Patterns

  • 営業部門 (えいぎょうぶもん): sales department
  • 技術部門 (ぎじゅつぶもん): technical department
  • マーケティング部門: marketing department
  • ジュニア部門 / シニア部門: junior/senior category

Register and Nuance

"部門" is a formal and neutral term suitable for business, academic, and official contexts. It is not casual and is rarely used in everyday informal conversation.

Common Learner Mistake

Learners sometimes confuse "部門" with "部署" (ぶしょ), which also means department but focuses more on the organizational unit or office. "部門" emphasizes the category or division concept, while "部署" is more about the physical or administrative section.

Example Sentences

このかいしゃはえいぎょうぶもんとぎじゅつぶもんにわかれています。

This company is divided into the sales department and the technical department.

かれはマーケティングぶもんではたらいています。

He works in the marketing department.

このたいかいにはいくつかのぶもんがあります。たとえば、ジュニアぶもんやシニアぶもんです。

This competition has several categories, for example, the junior category and the senior category.