隔

• Pinyin: gé
• Hanzi breakdown: 隔 = 阝(hill/wall) + 鬲 (ancient cooking vessel, phonetic) — a barrier or separation between things

Meaning

To separate; to be at a distance from; to be apart by. Indicates spatial or temporal distance between two things.

Used to express separation in space (隔一条街, separated by a street), time (隔了三年, after an interval of three years), or frequency (隔一天, every other day). Also appears in compounds like 隔壁 (next door) and 隔离 (quarantine/isolation).

Examples

1. 我家隔学校不远，走路十分钟就到了。 My home is not far from the school — just a ten-minute walk.
2. 隔了这么多年，他们终于又见面了。 After so many years apart, they finally met again.
3. 我们隔一天运动一次。 We exercise every other day.

Usage Guide

Context: spatial, temporal

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 我们两家就隔一条马路。(Our two homes are just separated by one road.)
• 他们隔几天就通一次电话。(They make a phone call every few days.)

Don't Say

• 我隔了你 (Don't use 隔 to mean 'I separated from you' for relationships — use 分开 or 离开; 隔 describes physical or temporal distance, not emotional separation)

Origin & History

Originally depicted a barrier: 阝(hill/wall) + 鬲 (ancient cooking vessel, used as a phonetic component). Conveys separation by an obstacle or distance.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal