How to say “difference” in Chinese

区别

qūbié

difference; distinguish

verb · HSK 4 · topic “Shopping and things”

“Difference” in Chinese is 区别, qū bié: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

区别 is read qū bié: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

qū — 1st tonehigh and level, like a long note

bié — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

区

qū — district, zone

别

bié — don't; other

On the right, 刂 “knife”.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “区别”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 区别. Tap the sound icon to listen.

这两台电脑有什么区别zhèliǎngtáidiànnǎoyǒushénmeqūbiéWhat's the difference between these two computers?
这两台有什么区别zhèliǎngtáiyǒushénmeqūbiéWhat's the difference between these two?
这两件外套有什么区别？zhèliǎngjiànwàitàoyǒushénmeqūbiéWhat's the difference between these two jackets?
这两个方案的区别很明显zhèliǎnggefāng’àndeqūbiéhěnmíngxiǎnThe difference between these two options is obvious.
两套房子唯一的区别是价格liǎngtàofángziwéiyīdeqūbiéshìjiàgéThe only difference between the two apartments is the price.
这两款打印机有什么区别？zhèliǎngkuǎndǎyìnjīyǒushénmeqūbiéWhat's the difference between these two printers?

More words from the lesson “What's the difference?”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “difference” in Chinese?

“Difference” in Chinese is 区别, pinyin qūbié.

What does 区别 mean?

区别 (qūbié) means “difference; distinguish”.

How do you write 区别?

区别 is 2 characters: 区 (qū) — district, zone; 别 (bié) — don't; other. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 区别?

区别 is read qūbié. Tones: qū — first tone, bié — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“difference” in the lesson “What's the difference?”

This word is from the topic “Shopping and things” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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