別 — separate / different

Grade 4べつ, わか

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

別 (readings: べつ, わか; Japanese kanji) means “separate / different”. It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 区別 (distinction).

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What does 別 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	別
Meaning	separate / different
Readings	べつ, わか
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	区別 (distinction)

How to read 別

別 is read べつ or わか depending on the word.

Words with 別

特別とくべつđặc biệt
分別ぶんべつphân loại
差別phân biệt
区別phân biệt
別荘biệt thự

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Updated: 2026-08-09