别 bié / biè — leave; depart; separate; distinguish; classify; other
上课的时候别说话。Shàng kè de shí hou bié shuō huà.Do not talk during class.
Common words: 别人 (bié ren)、别的 (bié de)、特别 (tè bié)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "distinguish"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "distinguish", including 别 (bié / biè), 区 (qū / ōu), 辨 (biàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "distinguish" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 别 (bié / biè), 区 (qū / ōu), 辨 (biàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bié, biè, qū, ōu, biàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 别 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 别 bié / bièleave; depart; separate; distinguish; classify; otherUseful words: 别人, 别的
- 区 qū / ōuOu (surname); area; region; district; small; distinguishUseful words: 地区, 区别
- 辨 biàndistinguish; recognizeUseful words: 分辨, 辨认
Common words for these 3 "distinguish" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 别 (bié / biè) — so "distinguish" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
别人bié renother people; others; other person别的bié deelse; other特别tè biéunusual; special; very; especially地区dì qūregion; area (informal or geographical term); prefecture (in China's administrative system)区别qū biédifference; to distinguish; to discriminate; to make a distinction小区xiǎo qūhousing estate; community; neighborhood; (telecommunications) cell分辨fēn biànto distinguish; to differentiate; to resolve辨认biàn rènto recognize; to identify辨别biàn biéto distinguish; to differentiate; to discern; to recognize
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 3 ways to say "distinguish".
区 qū / ōu — Ou (surname); area; region; district; small; distinguish
我住在城市的东区。Wǒ zhù zài chéng shì de dōng qū.I live in the east district of the city.
Common words: 地区 (dì qū)、区别 (qū bié)、小区 (xiǎo qū)
辨 biàn — distinguish; recognize
这两个字很像，要仔细分辨。Zhè liǎng ge zì hěn xiàng, yào zǐ xì fēn biàn.These two characters are similar; distinguish them carefully.
Common words: 分辨 (fēn biàn)、辨认 (biàn rèn)、辨别 (biàn bié)
All 3 characters
Open 别、区、辨 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.