別

• 読み: べつ
• ローマ字: betsu
• 漢字の分解: 別 (betsu) — separate, different, another
• 発音: /be.t͡sɯ/

意味

Different; separate; another. Indicates distinction or separation between things.

A na-adjective and noun expressing separation or difference. 別の＋noun means 'a different ~' or 'another ~.' The adverbial form 別に, when used with a negative, means 'not particularly' or 'not really' — one of the most common casual expressions in Japanese. Can also function as a prefix meaning 'separate' (別々 = separately).

例文

1. それは別の問題だと思います。
2. 別に気にしなくてもいいですよ。
3. あの二人は別の学校に通っています。

使い方ガイド

場面: daily life, conversation, comparison

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The kanji 別 depicts a knife (刂) separating bone from flesh (另). The core meaning of physical separation extended to abstract concepts of difference and distinction.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal