Meaning of 另
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- other
- another
- separate
- separately
How to use 另
As an adverb, 另 goes before a verb to mean doing something separately or in another way, as in 另想办法 (lìng xiǎng bànfǎ) "think of another way." As a pronoun-like word, it often appears with 一 before a measure word: 另一个人 (lìng yī gè rén) "another person." Example: 我们另找时间吧。(Wǒmen lìng zhǎo shíjiān ba.) Let's find another time.
另 (lìng) has a mouth 口 on top and a shape like 力 below. Picture one mouth speaking up with force to say "I have another idea," which points to the meaning other or another.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 另 with 别 (bié), which also has 口 on the left side and similar meanings. 另 is used before verbs or before 一 plus a measure word, while 别的 (bié de) is used before nouns, so say 别的书 (bié de shū), not 另书.
另 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.
另 lìng · other · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 另.
Questions about 另
What does 另 mean?
另 (lìng) means "other; another" and is used as a pronoun and adverb.
How do you write 另?
另 is made of 1 character: 另 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.
Is 另 an HSK word?
Yes. 另 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 另 and 另外?
另 is a single-syllable word that usually sits right before a verb or before 一 plus a measure word. 另外 (lìngwài) is more flexible. It can start a sentence to mean "in addition," or come before a noun phrase, as in 另外两个人 (lìngwài liǎng gè rén) "the other two people."
What does 另一半 mean when people talk about relationships?
Literally it means "the other half," but people often use it to mean a spouse or partner. For example, 你的另一半是做什么的？(Nǐ de lìngyībàn shì zuò shénme de?) means "What does your partner do?"