独 dú — alone; independent; single; sole; only
他喜欢一个人独自看书。Tā xǐ huan yí ge rén dú zì kàn shū.He likes reading alone by himself.
Common words: 独立 (dú lì)、单独 (dān dú)、独特 (dú tè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "alone"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "alone", including 独 (dú), 唯 (wéi / wěi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "alone" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 独 (dú), 唯 (wéi / wěi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dú, wéi, wěi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 独 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 独 dúalone; independent; single; sole; onlyUseful words: 独立, 单独
- 唯 wéi / wěi-ism; only; alone; yesUseful words: 唯一, 唯独
Common words for these 2 "alone" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 独 (dú) — so "alone" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "alone".
唯 wéi / wěi — -ism; only; alone; yes
这是我们唯一的机会，一定要把握住。Zhè shì wǒ men wéi yī de jī huì, yí dìng yào bǎ wò zhù.This is our only chance; we must seize it.
Common words: 唯一 (wéi yī)、唯独 (wéi dú)、唯有 (wéi yǒu)
All 2 characters
Open 独、唯 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.