Japanese word

別人

Pronunciation

Romajibetsujin

Meaning

  • noundifferent person

Example

彼は別人のようです。kare wa betsu jin no yō de su

He seems like a different person.

Illustration for 別人 (different person)

More examples

声を聞かなければ、私は彼を別人だと思ってしまいます。koe o ki ka na ke re ba watashi wa kare o betsu jin da to omo tte shi ma i ma su

If I did not hear his voice, I would mistake him for a different person.

Core concept

Points to someone regarded as a different person, either because they are distinct from another person or because their behavior has changed greatly.

Common phrases

  • 別人になるbetsu jin ni na ru

    become a different person

  • 別人だと思うbetsu jin da to omo u

    think someone is a different person

  • 別人として扱うbetsu jin to shi te atsuka u

    treat someone as a different person

Similar words

他人tanin: A person viewed as separate from oneself or from the group under discussion.

Definition in Japanese

他の人とは違う人。同じ人でも、姿や性格などが以前と大きく変わったように見える場合にいう。hoka no hito to wa chiga u hito ona ji hito de mo sugata ya sei kaku na do ga i zen to ō ki ku ka wa tta yō ni mi e ru ba ai ni i u

Word origin

別人 (betsujin) is formed from 別 (betsu, "separate") and 人 (jin, "person"), so its literal structure refers to a separate person.

Usage tips

  • The word often appears when a familiar person seems transformed by a new appearance, mood, or style, rather than when an unknown stranger is first introduced.

Opposites

Word lists with this word