区別|くべつkubetsu[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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Definitions
- noun, suru verb, transitive verbdistinction; differentiation; discrimination; difference私は彼女と妹を区別できなかった。↗I couldn't tell her from her sister.
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 区別する（くべつする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 区別します（くべつします） |
| Negative (nai) | 区別しない（くべつしない） |
| polite (masen) | 区別しません（くべつしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 区別せず・区別せぬ（くべつせず・くべつせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 区別した（くべつした） |
| polite (mashita) | 区別しました（くべつしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 区別しなかった（くべつしなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 区別しませんでした（くべつしませんでした） |
| Te form | 区別して（くべつして） |
| Potential | 区別できる（くべつできる） |
| Passive | 区別される（くべつされる） |
| Causative | 区別させる（くべつさせる） |
| Causative passive | 区別させられる（くべつさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 区別すれば（くべつすれば） |
| tara | 区別したら（くべつしたら） |
| Volitional | 区別しよう（くべつしよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 区別しましょう（くべつしましょう） |
| Imperative | 区別しろ（くべつしろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym識別しきべつNeutralIdentifying similar things by their features; leans technical, as in 「識別番号」. 「区別」 is about recognizing the differences between things.
- Synonym見分けみわけNeutralA noun for being able to tell the difference, used mostly in 「見分けがつかない」; 「区別」 is more versatile.
- Synonym見分けるみわけるNeutralA verb for telling things apart by eye, as in 「本物と偽物を見分ける」; 「区別」 is not limited to what you can see.
- Synonym判別はんべつNeutralTelling which category something belongs to after judging, as in 「判別しにくい」; 「区別」 centers on recognizing differences.
- Synonym鑑別かんべつNeutralTelling things apart after careful examination, as in 「ひよこの雌雄鑑別」; 「区別」 is more everyday.
- Synonym区分くぶんNeutralDividing a whole into parts or categories, as in 「年齢区分」; 「区別」 focuses on the differences themselves.
- Synonym分けるわけるNeutralA verb for dividing and classifying; the most broadly usable of these words. 「区別」 focuses on making the differences clear.
- Synonym分別ぶんべつNeutralMostly sorting trash for recycling, as in 「ゴミの分別」; 「区別」 is more abstract.
- Synonym弁別べんべつWrittenWritten/formal prose, common in psychology and linguistics, for telling differences apart; in everyday speech say 「区別」 or 「見分ける」.
- Related仕分けしわけNeutralSorting things out by type; also refers to journal entries in accounting. 「区別」 is about discerning differences.
- Related分別ぶんべつNeutralMostly sorting trash for recycling, as in 「ゴミの分別」; 「区別」 is more abstract.
- Related区分けくわけNeutralDividing a whole into several blocks or sections; 「区別」 centers on recognizing differences.
- Related色分けいろわけNeutralSorting by color; also used figuratively for splitting into camps. 「区別」 is general telling-apart of differences.
- Related選別せんべつNeutralSelecting by set criteria, as in 「選別作業」; 「区別」 carries no sense of picking and choosing.
- Related種別しゅべつWrittenWritten/formal prose for distinguishing by type, often seen in tables and forms; in daily speech say 「種類」.
- Related分類ぶんるいNeutralSorting things into categories by a set standard; 「区別」 is about recognizing how things differ.
- Related類別るいべつWrittenWritten/formal prose for dividing things by type; in daily speech say 「分類」.
- Related仕分けるしわけるNeutralA verb for sorting and classifying things by type; 「区別」 centers on recognizing differences.
- Antonym同一どういつNeutralThe opposite of 「区別」 on the sameness-difference axis: completely identical, one and the same.
- Antonym混同こんどうNeutralThe opposite of 「区別」 in keeping things straight: mistaking different things for one and the same.
Use 「区別」 to recognize differences and tell things apart. For telling apart by appearance use 「見分ける」, for sorting into categories by a standard 「分類」, for technical identification 「識別」, and for careful examination 「鑑別」. The antonym is 「混同」, mixing different things up.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
