区别
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 3 (2021)Old HSK 4
区别 (qūbié) · difference
区别 (qūbié) means “difference; to tell apart”. It is written with 2 characters: 区 (area) + 别 (don't). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 区别 is built
The characters
区 qū · area
What 区 is made of
- 匸xì — box
- 乂yì — crossed strokes
- 丿 — falling stroke
Origin hint: A place 匸 under a lord's control 乂 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
别 bié · don't
What 别 is made of
- 另lìng — another
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 力lì — strength
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 刂dāo — knife
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 亅 — hook
Origin hint: To draw boundaries 刂 between classes 另 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
这两个词有什么区别？Zhè liǎng ge cí yǒu shénme qūbié?What's the difference between these two words?
我区别不了这两种茶。Wǒ qūbié bu liǎo zhè liǎng zhǒng chá.I can't tell these two teas apart.
Questions about 区别
What does 区别 mean?
区别 (qūbié) means “difference; to tell apart”.
How do you pronounce 区别?
区别 is pronounced qūbié.
Which HSK level is 区别?
区别 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 地区dìqūregion
- 市区shìqūcity center
- 郊区jiāoqūsuburbs
- 区分qūfēnto distinguish
- 区域qūyùarea
- 社区shèqūcommunity
- 小区xiǎoqūresidential community
- 景区jǐngqūscenic area
- 区qūarea
- 别的biédeother
Learn 区别 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 81: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.