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

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.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉は千せん差さ万ばん別べつだ(a thing/matter) varies greatly from case to case
人ひとの価か値ち観かんは千せん差さ万ばん別べつだ。
People's values vary widely from person to person.
〈人ひと〉によって千せん差さ万ばん別べつdiffering greatly depending on the person
好こうのみは人ひとによって千せん差さ万ばん別べつだ。
Tastes vary enormously from person to person.

Kanji

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

Related words

十じゅう人にん十と色いろ
十人十色 highlights that each individual person differs, while 千差万別 stresses a wider, more extreme range of variation among many things.
多た種しゅ多た様よう
多種多様 is a common, neutral way to say 'various kinds', whereas 千差万別 is a more literary, emphatic yoji-jukugo stressing extreme diversity.
ピンからキリまでN1
千差万別 highlights the sheer diversity of types or differences among things, while ピンからキリまで focuses specifically on the quality range from top to bottom.

Opposites

一いち様ようN1
一様 describes things being uniform or all the same, the opposite of 千差万別's sense of extreme variety and difference.

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

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.