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I've noticed that the microwave minute dials often use 切 instead of 分 for
minutes. Why is this the case?

When I look up [切 on jisho](http://jisho.org/search/%E5%88%87%20%23kanji), I
get nothing about time or minutes, so I'm naturally confused as to why I
always see this.

Here's a picture:

[![Picture of
Dial](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jgDyf.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jgDyf.jpg)

Thanks!
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2017-09-19T23:59:41.037
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2017-09-22T04:18:17.700
2017-09-20T01:11:24.373
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question
kanji time
Why is 切 on microwaves instead of 分?
切る means 'to cut off' or 'to turn off', and it's likely used here to mean to
turn off the power and finish using the microwave.
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2017-09-20T01:20:36.517
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# English

I think that "切 literally _cut_ " is the devised result of a certain designer
of cooking appliances to be heated by electricity. Of course it means "to cut
off", "to turn off" or simply "OFF".  
Both the microwave oven and the toaster in the kitchen of my house have "切" in
the place where it corresponds to "0" of heating time dial.

I think as follows that decades ago, a product of an electric appliance
manufacturing company was designed in this way, and the designers of other
companies in the same industry who saw it thought it was "a very good idea!"
and imitated the design to the same product of their company.  
Therefore I think that similar designs are established today as that of
Japanese heating cookware.

In general, the following four directive functions are required for this dial
or control panel.  
(1) Indication that this dial is a control panel related to heating time.  
(2) Unit of heating time. Considering in common sense, it should be "minute".  
(3) Display of the position of "0" on the dial. And a description that the
heating is "being cut off" at the position of "0".  
(4) Instruction to cancel heating once started; to turn the knob to the dial
"0" position.

I admit that the designer who originally put "切" at this position would have
had a hard time on how to display and arrange the above four directive
functions on a limited area of the front panel of a microwave oven.

If you look closely at the picture posted by the questioner, there is a mark
or pictogram of a clock pointing to 3 o'clock on the upper left of the dial
you are paying attention to now. This is a simplified representation for the
function of (1).  
By the way, looking at the upper dial, there is a pictogram on the upper left
where a snow crystal is melting, meaning "解凍 _thawing_ of _defrosting_ ", and
on the upper right there is a pictogram of a bowlful of rice that means "あたため
_warming up_ ".

The description of (2) has been omitted as judging that everyone knows as
common sense.  
It is this "切" that solved the problems of (3) and (4) in a stroke. I think
that it was associative from switches of "入 _ON_ " / "切 _OFF_ " or "入 _ON_ " ⇔
"切 _OFF_ " type which is called a toggle switch or a rocker switch.

The designer would not have thought that a person learning Japanese asked this
kind of question, but I think "切" was a pretty wonderful idea.

# 日本語

「切」は、電気で加熱する調理器具の設計者が大変工夫した結果だと思います。
私の家の電子レンジもトースターも加熱時間のダイヤルの「０」に相当するところは「切」になっております。昔、ある電気会社の製品がこのようにデザインされたのを、「大変うまい！」と判断した同業他社の設計者が真似をしたので、同じようなデザインが、今日｛こんにち｝、日本の加熱式調理器具のデザインとして定着したのだと判断できます。

一般に、このダイヤルには次の４つの表示が必要です。  
(1) このダイヤルが加熱時間に関係する操作盤であることの表示。  
(2) 加熱時間の単位。常識的に「分」。  
(3) ダイヤルの「０」の位置の表示。そして、「０」の位置だと、加熱が「止まっている」。  
(4) 一旦スタートした加熱を「中断する（＝途中でやめる）」ときにはダイヤル「０」の位置にレバーを戻す。

電子レンジの前面の限られた面積にこれだけの情報をどのように表示し、配置するかを最初の設計者は苦労したことでしょう。

質問者が提示した写真をよく見ると、今着目している操作盤の左上に３時を指している時計のマーク（ピクトグラム）があります。これは、(1)のための簡略化した表示です。ちなみに、上のダイヤルを見ると左上には「解凍」を意味する氷が解け出しているマーク、右上には「あたためる」を意味するお茶碗によそったご飯のマークがあります。(2)は常識として誰でもわかると判断して省略しています。(3)と(4)を一気に解決したのがこの「切」です。「入」/「切」、「入」⇔「切」タイプのスイッチから連想したのだと思います。設計者は、まさか、日本語を学ぶ外国人に質問されるとは思っていなかったでしょうが、私は、なかなか素晴らしいアイデアだと思います。
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