water

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 水 has 4 strokes and denotes water.
• Basic usage: 水 is read みず, while 水分 is read すいぶん.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Water and moisture
  • 花瓶の水 refers to the water in a vase.
  • 野菜に含まれる水分 refers to the moisture contained in vegetables. 水分 is used for water present in a material or its water content.
• Removing some moisture
  • 洗った布を軽く絞って水分を取った means that someone lightly wrung out a washed cloth to remove moisture. It does not necessarily mean that the cloth became completely dry.