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千差万別 (せんさばんべつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

千せん差さ万ばん別べつ

also: せんさまんべつ

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JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun

wide variety; great diversity; multifarious

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Emphasizes that things are extremely varied and differ greatly from one another. Often used in formal or written contexts.

人ひとの考かんがえ方かたは千せん差さ万ばん別べつだ。
People's ways of thinking are extremely diverse.

この店みせには千せん差さ万ばん別べつな商しょう品ひんが並ならんでいる。

This shop has a wide variety of goods on display.

Written forms

千差万別
- せんさばんべつ
  Standard yojijukugo spelling; the reading せんさまんべつ is a less common variant.
- せんさまんべつ
  Variant reading; せんさばんべつ is far more common.
せんさまんべつ

Kanji

千thousand
差distinction, difference, variation
万ten thousand, 10,000
別separate, branch off, diverge

Similar words

十じゅう人にん十と色いろ
十人十色 focuses on individual differences (ten people, ten colors), while 千差万別 emphasizes a broader, more extreme diversity across many things.
多た種しゅ多た様よう
多種多様 is more common in everyday speech and simply means 'many kinds, diverse'; 千差万別 is more emphatic and literary.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 千 (thousand), 差 (difference), 万 (ten thousand), and 別 (distinction), literally meaning 'a thousand differences, ten thousand distinctions'. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of using large numbers to express great variety.