別に|べつにbetsuni[0]heiban (flat)

JLPT N3approx.Common
Definitions
  1. adverb(not) particularly; (not) especially; (not) speciallywith neg. sentence
    たまにまる一日ついたちぼけっとしていても別べつに悪わるい事ことじゃない。↗
    It's no crime to just idle the whole day once in a while.
  2. adverbseparately; apart; additionally; extra
    ソースを別べつにください。↗
    I'd like the sauce on the side.
Synonyms & antonyms
  • Antonym特にとくにNeutralNeutral. Highlights one thing in an affirmative sentence, as in 「特に好きだ」; 「別に」 usually pairs with a negation to mean 'not particularly'.
  • AntonymとりわけWrittenWritten/formal prose. Means 'especially, above all', as in 「取り分け寒い日」; it singles something out, the opposite of negation-taking 「別に」.

Use 「別に」 with a negation to say something is not special, as in 「別に何もない」. To single something out in a positive statement, use 「特に」 or, in formal writing, 「取り分け」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese definitions
  1. (打ち消うちけしを伴ともない)とりたてて。特別とくべつに。
  2. ほかに分わけて。
  3. 特とくに何なんもない。場合ばあいにより困惑こんわくや投なげやりな態度たいどを表あらわすことがある。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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