Meaning of 个性
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- individuality
- personality
How to use 个性
个性 often describes a distinctive, standout personality, and it is commonly used with 有 or 很有 to praise someone or something as unique. It can also describe styles, designs, and products. Example: 她很有个性。(Tā hěn yǒu gèxìng.) She has a lot of personality.
个 (gè) means an individual unit, as in 个人 (gèrén), and 性 (xìng) means nature, as in 性格 (xìnggé). Put them together and you get the nature that belongs to one individual: individuality or personality.
Common mistake: Learners often use 个性 and 性格 (xìnggé) interchangeably. 性格 is general disposition, such as being shy or outgoing. 个性 stresses what makes someone unique, so 他性格很好 (his temperament is good) sounds natural while 他个性很好 sounds odd.
个性 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
个 gè · classifier used before a noun that has … · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
性 xìng · nature · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 个性.
| 个子 | gèzi | stature; height; size (of a person or object); (agriculture) bundle of cereal stalks tied |
| 整个 | zhěnggè | whole; entire |
| 个人 | gèrén | an individual; oneself; (attributive) personal; one's own |
| 性格 | xìnggé | nature; disposition |
| 性别 | xìngbié | sex; gender |
| 积极性 | jījíxìng | zeal; initiative |
| 各个 | gègè | every; various |
| 上个月 | shàng ge yuè | last month |
| 下个月 | xià ge yuè | next month |
| 性质 | xìngzhì | nature; characteristic |
| 个别 | gèbié | individually; one by one; just one or two; exceptional; rare |
| 个体 | gètǐ | an individual; self-employed individual; small business operator (abbr. for 個體戶|个体户[ge4 ti |
Questions about 个性
What does 个性 mean?
个性 (gèxìng) means "individuality; personality" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 个性?
个性 is made of 2 characters: 个 (3 strokes), 性 (8 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 个性 an HSK word?
Yes. 个性 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 个性 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 个性 is written 個性.
Is 个性 a compliment?
Usually yes. Saying someone 有个性 means they are distinctive or have a strong style. In some contexts it can hint that a person is stubborn or hard to deal with, so tone and context matter.
Can 个性 be used as an adjective?
In casual speech, people say things like 很个性 (hěn gèxìng) to mean very unique or stylish, for example 这件衣服很个性. The related word 个性化 (gèxìnghuà) means personalized or customized.