divide · ratio

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 割 has twelve strokes and uses the on-reading かつ and kun-readings such as わる, われる, and わり.
• Basic usage: It describes dividing or breaking something and proportions of a whole.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Breaking something and something breaking
  • 割る(わる) describes cracking a shell or splitting costs. 割れる(われる) describes a cup breaking or the ground cracking.
• Splitting and discounting
  • 分割(ぶんかつ) means splitting a payment or task; 割引(わりびき) means discounting a price. Paying in installments does not itself reduce the total price.
• A unit of proportion
  • As a proportion, 一割 is 10% of the whole and 三割 is 30%. With a number in this use, 割 is read わり.