選り分ける・より分ける・えり分ける|よりわけるyoriwakeru[4]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. ichidan verb, transitive verbto classify; to sort out; to sift through
   荷物にもつを全部ぜんぶ選り分よりわけるのにかなり時間じかんがかかった。↗

   It took quite a while to sort out all our luggage.

• Synonym選別せんべつNeutralSorting by some standard, as in 「ごみの選別」; it can mean classifying or picking out what you need. Very close to 「選り分ける」 but leans written.
• Synonym分けるわけるNeutralThe broadest word for dividing, as in 「二つに分ける」; the split need not be based on quality at all.
• Synonym仕分けしわけNeutralThe noun form of sorting by type, as in 「仕分け作業」; also the bookkeeping term for journal entries.
• Synonym選るよるWrittenA written, somewhat old-fashioned verb for choosing the best; in everyday speech 「選りすぐる」 is the usual choice.
• Synonym選り出すよりだすNeutralPicks certain things out of a larger group; the focus is on extracting what you want, not on sorting everything into categories as 「選り分ける」 does.
• Synonymふるい分けるふるいわけるNeutralSifts apart with a sieve, literally or figuratively; the image is separating coarse from fine, and it can also suggest weeding out.
• Synonym仕分けるしわけるNeutralSorts things by type or nature, as in 「荷物を仕分ける」, and is also the accounting term for classifying entries; quality is not its main focus.
• Related選考せんこうNeutralA noun for selection after review, as in 「書類選考」; it centers on evaluating and choosing people or works, not on physically sorting items.
• Related選び出すえらびだすNeutralMeans picking someone or something out from among several, as in 「代表を選び出す」; the stress is on the act of choosing, not on dividing into groups.
• Related選択せんたくNeutralA noun for choosing, as in 「選択肢」; it centers on making a decision among options rather than sorting a mixed lot by quality.
• Related選抜せんばつNeutralSelection of the best from a large field, as in 「選抜チーム」; it stresses picking out top performers rather than dividing things up.
• Related選定せんていNeutralFormal selection that settles on the final choice, as in 「候補地を選定」; it leans written and is about fixing what is chosen, one or several, not sorting a mixed lot.
• Related分かつわかつWrittenA written verb for dividing or sharing, as in 「喜びを分かつ」; broader and more literary than 「選り分ける」, with no sense of judging quality.
• Related淘汰とうたNeutralWeeding out, as in 「自然淘汰」; the point is eliminating the inferior, not classifying what remains.
• Related精選せいせんNeutralCareful selection of the finest, as in 「精選された素材」; it leans written and stresses quality, not sorting by category.
• RelatedセレクトNeutralA loanword for picking or choosing, as in 「セレクトショップ」; it refers to selection in general, not sorting by quality.
• Related整理せいりNeutralTidying and putting in order, as in 「書類を整理する」; the stress is on orderliness, not on picking good from bad.
• Related選ぶえらぶNeutralThe everyday default for choosing one or more from a group; it stresses the act of picking and need not sort everything into categories.
• Related選り抜くえりぬくNeutralImplies careful, selective picking of the very best, as in 「選り抜きの選手」; it highlights choosing top items rather than dividing a mixed lot.
• Related選りすぐるよりすぐるNeutralMeans picking out only the best after careful searching, as in 「選りすぐりの品」; it stresses quality selection rather than sorting a whole lot.
• RelatedすぐるWrittenA written, somewhat old-fashioned verb for choosing the best; in everyday speech 「選りすぐる」 is the usual choice.
• RelatedふるいにかけるNeutralAn idiom meaning to run something through a sieve, i.e. to screen and weed out, as in 「候補者をふるいにかける」.
• Relatedふるい落とすふるいおとすNeutralMeans screening out and eliminating those who do not pass, as in 「一次でふるい落とす」; it is about rejection, not sorting into categories.
• RelatedスクリーニングNeutralA loanword for screening, as in 「がんスクリーニング」; common for medical checks and initial culling of candidates.
• Antonym混ぜるまぜるNeutralTo mix things together — the direct opposite of 「選り分ける」, which separates a mixture into groups.
• Antonym一括いっかつNeutralHandling everything in one batch or lump sum; the opposite of 「選り分ける」, which goes through items one by one.

Use 「選り分ける」 when you go through a mixed lot and separate it by quality or kind, as in 「良い豆と悪い豆を選り分ける」. For picking out the best, use 「選りすぐる」 or 「選り抜く」; for weeding out failures, 「ふるい落とす」 or 「ふるいにかける」; for extracting some, 「選り出す」 or 「選び出す」. Sort purely by category with 「仕分ける」, by a set standard with 「選別」, and for plain everyday choosing say 「選ぶ」. 「混ぜる」 (mixing) and 「一括」 (all at once) are the opposites.

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

1. 良し悪よしあしなどを選えらんで分わける。選別せんべつする。