dissect · split

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 剖 has ten strokes and the on-reading ぼう.
• Basic usage: It appears in technical words such as 解剖 and 剖検 concerning examination of a body's interior.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Dissection and postmortem examination
  • 解剖(かいぼう) means dissection to examine bodily structure; it can describe dissecting a fish in a practical class.
  • 剖検(ぼうけん) is a postmortem examination to investigate a cause. Distinguish its investigative purpose from the broader 解剖, which also includes studying structure.
• Anatomy in a diagram
  • 解剖図 is a diagram of internal bodily structure.