Meaning of 单独
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- alone
- by oneself
- on one's own
How to use 单独
单独 is used before a verb to show that someone does something separately or one on one. It often appears with 和 or 跟 to mean meeting someone privately. Example: 我想和你单独谈谈。(Wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ dāndú tántan.) I would like to talk with you alone.
单 (dān) means single, as in 简单 (jiǎndān) simple, and 独 (dú) means alone, as in 独自 (dúzì). Put single and alone together and you get doing something all by yourself, with no one else involved.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 单独 and 独自. 独自 (dúzì) stresses that a person is alone, often lonely, while 单独 can also mean separately for things, as in 单独放 (put it separately). Also keep the tones right: dān is first tone and dú is second tone.
单独 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.
单 dān · bill · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
独 dú · alone · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 4
- 5
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 单独.
| 名单 | míngdān | list of names |
| 单位 | dānwèi | unit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole) |
| 菜单 | càidān | menu |
| 简单 | jiǎndān | simple; not complicated |
| 单元 | dānyuán | unit (forming an entity); element |
| 独自 | dúzì | alone |
| 独立 | dúlì | independent; independence |
| 独特 | dútè | unique; distinctive |
| 单纯 | dānchún | simple; pure |
| 单调 | dāndiào | monotonous |
| 单一 | dānyī | single; only |
| 孤独 | gūdú | lonely; solitary |
Questions about 单独
What does 单独 mean?
单独 (dāndú) means "alone; by oneself" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 单独?
单独 is made of 2 characters: 单 (8 strokes), 独 (9 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 单独 an HSK word?
Yes. 单独 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 单独 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 单独 is written 單獨.
Can 单独 describe objects, not just people?
Yes. You can say 这个问题要单独讨论 (this issue should be discussed separately) or 单独包装 (packaged individually). In these cases it means separately or individually.
Can 单独 be used as an adjective before a noun?
Yes, often with 的, as in 单独的房间 (dāndú de fángjiān), a separate room. It works this way in addition to its main use before verbs.