What is the Kanji for "Section" and "Department"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Section" and "Department", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Section" and "Department" is "部".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Be".

Its onyomi reading is "Bu".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "咅" means "Spit" . And The radical "⻏" means "Mound" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "部" mean in japanese?

"部" means "Section" and "Department".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

全部: "All". The adverb '全部 (ぜんぶ)' means 'all'. It is used to indicate that something encompasses the entirety or completeness of something. For example: I ate all the cookies - (クッキーを全部食べた). We used up all the supplies - (全部の備品を使い果たした).

部: "Department". The Japanese suffix '部 (ぶ)' indicates a department, division, or section. It is commonly used to form words that refer to different departments or areas within an organization, such as 営業部 (えいぎょうぶ) for 'sales department' and人事部 (じんじぶ) for 'human resources department'. This suffix can be added to a wide range of nouns to specify a particular area or field. For example: 法律部 (ほうりつぶ) - legal department, 広告部 (こうこくぶ) - advertising department.

部屋: "Room". The Japanese noun '部屋 (へや)' means 'room'. This word refers to an enclosed space within a building, typically separated by walls and a door. It can be used to describe a variety of rooms, such as a bedroom, living room, or bathroom. For example: My room is small - (私の部屋は小さい). There are three rooms in the house - (その家には3つの部屋があります).

部分: "Part". The Japanese noun '部分 (ぶぶん)' refers to a portion, section or subdivision of something. It can be used to describe a specific component or segment of a whole. For example: The best part of the book was the last chapter - (本の中で一番良かった部分は最後の章だった). This part of the city is very crowded - (この部分の町はとても混雑している).

一部: "Part". The noun '一部 (いちぶ)' means 'part'. This word refers to a portion or segment of something larger. It can be used to describe a section of a book, a division within an organization, or a fraction of a whole. For example: One part of the city - (街の一部), This book is just one part of a series - (この本はシリーズの一部にすぎない).

内部: "Interior". The noun '内部 (ないぶ)' refers to the inside or inner part of something. It can be used to describe the inside of a building, a human body, a machine, or any kind of enclosed space. For example: The interior of the house is spacious - (家の内部は広々としている). The interior of the car is leather - (車の内部は革張りだ).

部門: "Division". The Japanese noun '部門 (ぶもん)' means 'division'. It refers to a specific section, department or branch within a larger organization or company. This word is commonly used to describe the different functional areas or specialized fields that make up an entity. For example: The marketing division - (マーケティング部門) or The HR division - (人事部門).

一部分: "Part". The noun '一部分 (いちぶぶん)' refers to a particular section, portion, or segment of something larger. It can be used to describe a component or fraction of a whole. For example: This is just a part of the problem - (これはその問題の一部分です). The book has many parts - (その本にはいくつかの一部分がある).

部下: "Subordinate". The Japanese noun '部下 (ぶか)' means 'subordinate'. This word refers to an employee or staff member who is under the authority or supervision of another person, usually a manager or supervisor. It implies a hierarchical relationship where the '部下' is in a lower position and reports to their '上司' (boss). For example: My subordinates are very hardworking - (私の部下はとても勤勉です). I have many subordinates to manage - (私は多くの部下を管理している).

本部: "Headquarters" or "Main office". The Japanese noun '本部 (ほんぶ)' refers to the main office or central headquarters of an organization, company, or institution. It is the primary location where the key administration and decision-making functions are carried out. For example: The company's headquarters is located in Tokyo - (その会社の本部は東京にある). The headquarters of the organization is very busy today - (その組織の本部は今日とても忙しい).

工学部: "Engineering department". The Japanese noun '工学部 (こうがくぶ)' refers to the engineering department of a university. This is a specific academic department that focuses on the study and research of engineering disciplines such as civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, and others. Students majoring in engineering fields would typically enroll in the '工学部'. For example: The engineering department has advanced facilities - (工学部には先進的な設備がある).

学部: "Faculty". The Japanese noun '学部 (がくぶ)' means 'faculty'. It refers to a major division or school within a university, such as the faculty of medicine, faculty of engineering, faculty of arts, etc. These faculties are responsible for the education and research activities within their respective academic disciplines. For example: I am a student in the faculty of science - (私は理学部の学生です). The faculty of law has excellent professors - (法学部には優秀な教授がいます).

外部: "Outside". The noun '外部 (がいぶ)' refers to the outside, exterior, or external part of something. It is used to describe things that are on the outside or exterior of an object, space, or organization, as opposed to the inside or interior. For example: The outside of the building was painted recently - (その建物の外部は最近塗装された). There are many security cameras installed in the outside of the office - (事務所の外部には多くの防犯カメラが設置されている).

部隊: "Unit". The Japanese noun '部隊 (ぶたい)' means 'unit'. This term is commonly used to refer to a military unit or formation, such as a battalion, brigade, or division. It can also be used more broadly to describe any organized group or team. For example: The military unit advanced - (その部隊は前進した). Our research unit conducted experiments - (私たちの研究部隊は実験を行った).

幹部: "Executive". The Japanese noun '幹部 (かんぶ)' refers to a high-ranking or senior member of an organization, such as the management or leadership team. This term is often used to describe executives, directors, or other individuals in a position of authority within a company, government, or other institution. For example: The executives held a meeting - (幹部が会議を開いた). She is one of the executives at the company - (彼女はその会社の幹部の1人である).

部長: "Manager". The Japanese noun '部長 (ぶちょう)' refers to a manager or head of a department or division within a company or organization. This position typically involves overseeing the operations and personnel of a specific department or section. The '部長' is a mid-level management role that reports to higher-level executives. For example: The department manager told us about the new project - (部長が新しいプロジェクトについて教えてくれた).

部品: "Part". The Japanese noun '部品 (ぶひん)' refers to a component or piece that is part of a larger whole, such as a machine, device, or system. It is commonly used in the context of manufacturing, engineering, and electronics to describe the individual functional elements that make up a complete product. For example: The mechanic replaced the faulty part in the car - (メカニックは車の故障した部品を交換した). All the parts for the new computer have arrived - (新しいコンピューターのすべての部品が到着した).

警部: "Inspector". The Japanese word '警部 (けいぶ)' refers to a police inspector or superintendent. It is a rank in the Japanese police force, typically above the rank of police officer and below the rank of superintendent. This term is commonly used when referring to higher ranking police officials who are in charge of investigations or overseeing a police station. For example: The inspector ordered the officers to search the area - (警部は警官に地域を捜査するよう指示した).

南部: "South". The noun '南部 (なんぶ)' refers to the southern part or region of a place. It can be used to describe the southern part of a country, city, or any other geographical area. For example: The south part of the city - (街の南部), Southern Japan - (日本の南部)

文部: "Ministry". The Japanese noun '文部 (もんぶ)' refers to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan. It is the government ministry responsible for education, science, sports, and culture. The ministry sets educational policies, curriculum standards, and oversees the education system in Japan. For example: The Ministry of Education announced new guidelines - (文部省は新しいガイドラインを発表した).

大部分: "Majority". The noun '大部分 (だいぶぶん)' refers to the 'majority' or the greater part of something. It is used to describe the largest portion or the most significant part of a whole. For example: The majority of the students passed the exam - (大部分の生徒が試験に合格した). A majority of the population lives in the city - (大部分の人口が都市に住んでいる).

部落: "Community". The Japanese word '部落 (ぶらく)' refers to a type of community or settlement, often in a rural area. It can be used to describe a village, hamlet, or other small, distinct residential area. This word carries historical connotations related to social discrimination against certain marginalized groups in Japan. For example: The villagers in the rural community - (田舎の部落の人々). He grew up in a small mountain community - (彼は山の部落で育った).

北部: "North". The noun '北部 (ほくぶ)' refers to the northern part or region of a larger area. It can be used to describe the northern part of a country, state, city, or any other geographical location. For example: The northern part of Japan - (日本の北部), The northern region of the city - (街の北部)

法学部: "Law school". The Japanese noun '法学部 (ほうがくぶ)' refers to the law school or faculty of law at a university. It is where students can study and obtain a degree in legal studies. In Japan, law is one of the most popular and prestigious fields of study at the university level. Students who enroll in the 法学部 will take courses covering various aspects of the legal system, such as civil law, criminal law, international law, and more. For example: He is a student at the law school - (彼は法学部の学生です).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "ぶ" is read as "bu". And The hiragana "べ" is read as "be".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.