The character 别 — “don't”: how to write it and what it means
don't; other
The Chinese character 别 is read bié and means “don't; other”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 别
别 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 别, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 别 is made of
On the right, 刂 “knife”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 别
- 别人other peopleHSK 3
- 特别especially; specialHSK 3
- 别的other, elseHSK 3
- 性别sex, gender (male, female)HSK 4
- 区别difference; distinguishHSK 4
- 告别say goodbyeHSK 5
- 分别separately; partHSK 5
- 个别individual, isolatedHSK 5
- 差别differenceHSK 5
- 类别category, typeHSK 6
- 识别recognize, identifyHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 别?
别 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 别 mean?
别 means “don't; other”. It appears in 别人 (“other people”), 特别 (“especially”), 别的 (“other”), 性别 (“sex”).
How do you pronounce 别?
别 is read bié. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 别 have?
7 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 别 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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