Page 314 - Basic Japanese

6.25. Fractions

To express ordinary fractions, like 3/4, the Japanese say

something like ‘three of four parts’ using the counter -bun

‘part.’ For ‘one-half’ there is the special word hanbun, and for

‘so-many and a half’ the regular number takes the suffix -
han ‘and a half’:

Kono kurasu no yonbun no san wa danshi desu.
Three-quarters of this class are boys.

Takeshi-san wa moratta o-kane no hanbun o watashi ni
kuremashita.

Takeshi gave me half of the money he received.

Mizu o san-kappu han irete kudasai.
Please add 3½ cups of water.

Getsuyōbi no asa, jūichi-ji han ni koko e kite kudasai.
Please come here at 11:30 a.m. on Monday
morning.

Nijū-ichi wa rokujū-san no sanbun no ichi desu.

21 is one-third of 63.

6.26. Percentage