別

音読おんよみ: ベツ

訓読くんよみ: わかれる

画数かくすう: 7

部首ぶしゅ: りっとう(刂)

Meaning

Separate / Different / Special

  • Basic forms
  • 別れる — to separate; to part; break up / base form
  • 別れます — separate; part / masu form
  • 別れた — separated; parted / ta form
  • 別れて — separate and …; part and … / te-form
  • 別れない — do not separate / negative form
  • 別れれば — if (they) separate / conditional
  • 別れろ・別れよ — break up!; separate! (rare) / imperative
  • Other common forms
  • 別れたい — want to break up; want to part / 〜たい form
  • 別れられる — can separate; be able to part / potential
  • 別れられた — could separate (rare) / past potential
  • 別れられない — cannot separate; cannot break up / negative potential
  • More
  • 別れよう — let’s part; let’s break up / 〜よう form
  • 別れなかった — didn’t separate / past negative
  • 別れている — are separated; have broken up / progressive/state

別れる(わかれる) is an ichidan verb. Drop to add endings such as ます, た, て, ない. Used for parting ways (友だちと別れる), separating into groups (二つに別れる), or breaking up (恋人と別れる).

  • 特別とくべつ — special
  • 区別くべつ — distinction / differentiation
  • 別々べつべつ — separately / individually
  • わかれ — parting / farewell
  • 差別さべつ — discrimination

The kanji combines かたな (sword) with べつ (separate, another). The image is of cutting apart, which gave the meaning “to divide” or “to separate.” Over time, it came to express distinctions and also “special” in words like 特別とくべつ.

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