区く別べつ

く

べ

つ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

区別する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	区く別べつする	区く別べつしない
Polite	区く別べつします	区く別べつしません
Past polite	区く別べつしました	区く別べつしませんでした
Past	区く別べつした	区く別べつしなかった
Te-form	区く別べつして	区く別べつしないで
Desire	区く別べつしたい	区く別べつしたくない
Potential	区く別べつできる	区く別べつできない
Passive	区く別べつされる	区く別べつされない
Causative	区く別べつさせる	区く別べつさせない
Causative passive	区く別べつさせられる	区く別べつさせられない
Volitional	区く別べつしよう
Polite volitional	区く別べつしましょう
Imperative	区く別べつしろ	区く別べつするな
Conditional	区く別べつすれば	区く別べつしなければ
Tara conditional	区く別べつしたら	区く別べつしなかったら

Meanings

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

distinction; differentiation; telling apart

Used for recognizing and separating things based on their differences. Can be a noun or a suru-verb. Often implies a conscious act of distinguishing, not just a natural difference.

善ぜん悪あくの区く別べつがつかない。
I can't tell the difference between right and wrong.
この二ふたつの単たん語ごの使つかい方かたを区く別べつしてください。
Please distinguish between the usages of these two words.
彼かれは公こう私しの区く別べつがはっきりしている。
He clearly separates his public and private life.

See all 360 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉と〈物もの〉を区く別べつするto distinguish one thing from another
本ほん物ものと偽にせ物ものを区く別べつするのは難むずかしい。
It's hard to tell the real one from the fake.
〈物もの〉の区く別べつがないthere is no distinction between things
この学がっ校こうでは男だん女じょの区く別べつがない。
At this school there's no distinction made between boys and girls.
〈事こと〉によって区く別べつするto distinguish based on something
商しょう品ひんは色いろによって区く別べつしている。
The products are distinguished by color.

Expressions

区く別べつがつくtell apart; distinguish; know the difference
区く別べつせずにwithout distinction; indiscriminately
善ぜん悪あくの区く別べつdistinction between right and wrong; distinction between good and bad
区く別べつをつけるdistinguish between; tell the difference between
区く別べつがつかないcan't tell apart; indistinguishable
性せい的てき区く別べつのないgender-neutral; without gender distinction

Kanji

区ward, district
別separate, branch off, diverge
區ward, district

Related words· 18

差さ別べつN3
差別 usually implies unfair discrimination or prejudice, while 区別 is a neutral distinction based on objective differences.
分ぶん別べつN2
分別 focuses on sorting or classifying things into categories, whereas 区別 emphasizes recognizing differences between them.
判はん別べつ
判別 stresses making a judgment call to tell things apart (often when it's difficult), while 区別 is the more general, everyday word for distinguishing things.
見み分わけるN2
区別する is the general word for distinguishing categories or types, while 見分ける stresses visually or perceptually telling similar things apart.

Show 14 more

けじめN1
区別 is the general word for distinguishing between things, while けじめ specifically implies a moral or social boundary and taking responsibility for one's actions.
隔へだて
区別 is the common, neutral word for making a distinction, while 隔て often implies an emotional or physical barrier that creates distance.
別べつN4
区別 emphasizes the act of actively distinguishing between things, while 別 simply describes the state of being separate or different.
識しき別べつN1
識別 focuses on recognizing what something specifically is, while 区別 is about separating things into distinct categories or groups.
分わかち
区別 is the everyday word for making or recognizing a distinction, while 分かち is a more formal or literary way of expressing the same idea.
見み分わけN1
区別 is the general word for making a distinction or classification, while 見分け refers specifically to telling things apart by sight or perception.
使つかい分わけ
区別 is about conceptually distinguishing between things, while 使い分け is about actually using different things differently in practice.
分ぶん化か
区別 is about distinguishing between things that already exist, whereas 分化 is about differences emerging gradually through a process.
使つかい分わけるN1
区別する means to distinguish or tell things apart conceptually, while 使い分ける adds the nuance of actually applying the right one in practice.
区く分ぶんN2
区別 highlights distinguishing one thing from another conceptually, while 区分 involves actually sorting or partitioning things into groups.
一いっ線せん
区別 refers broadly to distinguishing between things or categories, while 一線 pictures that distinction as a concrete boundary line.
分わかつ
区別する is the standard, everyday verb for distinguishing two things, whereas 分かつ in this sense is more elevated and appears mainly in formal writing.
分わけるN4
区別する is a more formal, abstract word for telling two things apart, while 分ける is used more broadly for distinguishing as well as physically dividing.
違ちがいN3
区別 emphasizes distinguishing or classifying two things, while 違い simply names the gap or discrepancy between them.

Opposites

混こん同どうN2
混同 means mixing things up or failing to keep them separate, the opposite of making a 区別 between them.

Word family

区く別べつ立だて
differentiation; discrimination; distinction
性せいの区く別べつ
distinction of the sexes; sex differentiation
発はつ音おん区く別べつ符ふ号ごう
diacritical mark; diacritic

Written forms

区く別べつUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word in news and everyday usage.
區く別べつUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Kyūjitai form; included for search compatibility.

Etymology

Compound of 区 (ku, 'section, division') and 別 (betsu, 'separate, distinction'). The combination naturally yields the meaning of distinguishing or separating things into different categories.