Meaning of 各自
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- each
- respective
- apiece
How to use 各自
各自 refers to each member of a group doing or having something separately. It often comes before a verb or before a noun with 的. Example: 我们各自回家吧。(Wǒmen gèzì huí jiā ba.) Let's each go home.
各 (gè) means "each" and 自 (zì) means "self," so 各自 is "each to their own self." Picture a group splitting up, with every person taking care of their own part.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 各自 for a single person, but it always needs a group of two or more, so 他各自回家 is wrong. Also do not mix it up with 自己 (zìjǐ), which means "oneself" and works for one person.
各自 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.
各 gè · each · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
自 zì · self · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 各自.
| 自己 | zìjǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 自由 | zìyóu | freedom; liberty; free; unrestricted |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle; bike |
| 大自然 | dàzìrán | nature (the natural world) |
| 各位 | gèwèi | everybody; all (guests, colleagues etc) |
| 自然 | zìrán | nature; natural |
| 自从 | zìcóng | since (a time); ever since |
| 亲自 | qīnzì | personally; in person |
| 各种 | gèzhǒng | every kind of; all kinds of; various |
| 自动 | zìdòng | automatic; voluntarily |
| 自身 | zìshēn | itself; oneself |
Questions about 各自
What does 各自 mean?
各自 (gèzì) means "each; respective" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 各自?
各自 is made of 2 characters: 各 (6 strokes), 自 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 各自 an HSK word?
Yes. 各自 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 各自 and 每个人?
每个人 (měi ge rén) simply means "every person" and can be a subject on its own. 各自 stresses that each person acts separately or has something of their own, and it usually follows a plural subject, as in 他们各自 (tāmen gèzì).
Can 各自 be used before a noun?
Yes. Add 的 to show each person's own thing, as in 各自的工作 (gèzì de gōngzuò), meaning each person's own job. This is how English "respective" is often translated.