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Kanji Information Sheet for 別  ( PDF version of this Kanji PDF version )

stroke order illustration  
English:
separate
branch off
diverge
fork
another
extra
specially		 On-Yomi:
ベツ		 Kun-Yomi:
わか.れる
わ.ける
べっ
Bushu (Radical) Info:
刀 (かたな) – sword
刈 (ガイ, カイ, か.る, かっ かり) – reap; cut; clip; trim; prune
Henshall Mnemonic: two cuts to the mouth mean split lip
Levels: JLPT N4 | JLPT 3 (old) | Grade 4
Frequency: #214 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).
Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N4 Words

  • 特別   [とくべつ]
    (adj-na,adv,n) special   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別   [べつ]
    (adj-na,n,n-suf) distinction; difference; different; another; particular; separate; extra; exception   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別れる   [わかれる]
    (v1) to be divided; to part from; to separate; to bid farewell   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N3 Words

  • 区別   [くべつ]
    (n,vs) distinction; differentiation; classification   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 差別   [さべつ]
    (n,vs) discrimination; distinction; differentiation   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別に   [べつに]
    (adv) (not) particularly; nothing   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別れ   [わかれ]
    (n) parting; separation; farewell; (lateral) branch; fork; offshoot; division; section   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

  • 格別   [かくべつ]
    (adj-na,adv,n) exceptional   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 性別   [せいべつ]
    (n) distinction by sex; sex; gender   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 送別   [そうべつ]
    (n) farewell; send-off   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別々   [べつべつ]
    (adj-na,n) separately; individually   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別荘   [べっそう]
    (n) holiday house; villa   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

  • 鑑別   [かんべつ]
    (n) discrimination; judgement   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 決別   [けつべつ]
    (n) separation; farewell   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 戸別訪問   [こべつほうもん]
    (n,vs) door-to-door visit; door-to-door canvassing   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 告別   [こくべつ]
    (n) farewell; leave-taking   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 産別   [さんべつ]
    (n) (abbr) industrial union   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 識別   [しきべつ]
    (n) discrimination; discernment; identification   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 種別   [しゅべつ]
    (n,vs) classification; assortment   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 選別   [せんべつ]
    (n,vs) selection   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 送別会   [そうべつかい]
    (n) farewell party   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 大別   [たいべつ]
    (n) general classification   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 特別区   [とくべつく]
    (n) special ward   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 物別れ   [ものわかれ]
    (n) failure to reach agreement   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 分別   [ふんべつ]
    (n) discernment; discretion; judgement; discrimination   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 分別   [ぶんべつ]
    (n) discrimination; separation; division; classification; distinction   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別院   [べついん]
    (n) branch temple   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別館   [べっかん]
    (n) (hotel) annexe   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別居   [べっきょ]
    (n) (legal) separation; divorce from bed and table   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別個   [べっこ]
    (adj-na,adj-no,n) another; different; separate   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別冊   [べっさつ]
    (n) separate volume; extra issue; supplement   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別室   [べっしつ]
    (n) separate room; special room   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別人   [べつじん]
    (n) different person; someone else; changed man   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別棟   [べつむね]
    (n) separate building; outbuilding; outhouse   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別表   [べっぴょう]
    (n) annexed (statistical) table   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別名   [べつめい]
    (n) alias; pseudonym; pen name; nom de plume   [K] [D] [Jisho]
  • 別問題   [べつもんだい]
    (n) different thing; another question; different case   [K] [D] [Jisho]
Find more details for 別 at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.