粉

A phono-semantic compound:

米 (“rice, grain”) — semantic element, indicating relation to grain or powder.

分 (bun / fěn, “to divide, portion”) — phonetic element.

Original sense: rice flour, grain powder.

Later broadened to mean powder in general, cosmetic powder, flour-based foods, and even color (pink).

麵粉 (면분) — wheat flour

花粉 (화분) — pollen

粉飾 (분식) — to whitewash, to gloss over

粉末 (분말) — powder, fine particles

粉紅 (분홍) — pink (lit. “powder red”)

粉絲 (분사) — cellophane noodles (lit. “vermicelli”); in modern slang, “fans” (phonetic loan)

Culinary note: in China, 粉 at the end of dish names usually indicates rice noodles or dishes made from rice flour/starch (e.g., 米粉, 河粉).

In Korea and Japan, 粉 more commonly suggests wheat flour rather than rice flour.

Figuratively, 粉 has associations with cosmetics, beauty, and feminine refinement, as in 白粉 (face powder).

In modern Mandarin, 粉 also serves as a slang loanword for “fans/supporters.”