half

JLPT N3 5 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Usage of (bàn)

The character primarily means "half" and is used to indicate a portion that is 50% of a whole. It can describe quantities, time, or progress.

Common contexts

Collocations and patterns

  • + noun: to express half of something countable.
  • : often used after a noun to indicate half of it.
  • Time expressions: used after numbers to indicate half past the hour.

Notes

When using with time, it usually follows the hour (e.g., ). When expressing half of an object, is common for countable nouns. can also imply "partially" or "incomplete" in some contexts, such as (halfway).

Avoid confusing with other fraction words like , which is more formal and often used after the noun.

Example Sentences

I ate half an apple.

The movie has been playing for half an hour.

He only finished half of the work.

It is now 3:30 in the afternoon.

We have walked half of this road, let's take a break.