King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “differentiation”

Romaji: sabetsu
distinction; differentiation; discrimination

In Japanese, differentiation is , read (sabetsu).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

  1. n, vs, vt distinction; differentiation; discrimination
  2. n, vs, vt discrimination (against people)

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

distinction, difference, variation
on: サ
kun: さ.す、さ.し
10 strokes · JLPT 2
separate, branch off, diverge
on: ベツ
kun: わか.れる、わ.ける
7 strokes · JLPT 3

Other Japanese words for “differentiation”

WordReadingMeaning
くべつ kubetsudistinction; differentiation; discrimination
わかち wakachidistinction; differentiation; discrimination
ぶんか bunkaspecialization; specialisation; differentiation
びぶん bibundifferentiation
びぶんほう bibunhoudifferentiation

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
かくさ kakusaqualitative difference; disparity; gap
こうさてん kousatencrossing; intersection
じさ jisatime difference
ひざし hizashisunlight; rays of the Sun
ごさ gosameasurement error; calculation error
とくべつ tokubetsuspecial; particular; extraordinary
べつに betsuni(not) particularly; (not) especially; (not) specially
わかれ wakareparting (of people); separation; farewell

See also: Chinese symbol for “differentiation”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.