Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 分子, composed of 分 (“to divide”) and 子. Borrowing from Japanese 分子 ‎(bunshi), from Middle Chinese 分子 ‎(pjun tsiX). Cognate with phần tử.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [fɜn˧˧ tɨ̞̠˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [fɜŋ˧˧ tɨ̞̠ɰ˧˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [fɜŋ˧˥ tɨ̞̠ɰ˨˦]