Korean word

구별되다

Pronunciation

Romanizationkubyeoldoeda

Meaning

  • verbbe told apart

Example

사진으로는 두 사람이 구별되기 어렵다.sa ji neu ro neun tu sa ra mi ku byeol doe gi eo ryeop tta

The two people are hard to tell apart in the photo.

Illustration for 구별되다 (be told apart)

More examples

전화로는 어른과 아이의 목소리가 구별되지 않는다.cheon hwa ro neun eo reun gwa a i ui mok sso ri ga ku byeol doe ji an neun da

Over the phone, an adult's voice cannot be distinguished from a child's.

Core concept

Similar things stand out from one another enough to be recognized separately.

Common phrases

  • 눈으로 구별되다nu neu ro ku byeol doe da

    be visually distinguishable

  • 색으로 구별되다sae geu ro ku byeol doe da

    be distinguishable by color

  • 서로 구별되다seo ro ku byeol doe da

    be distinguishable from each other

Similar words

구별하다kubyeolhada: Looking at features helps identify how similar things differ.
구분되다kubundoeda: Things are divided into distinct categories based on a particular standard.

Definition in Korean

서로 비슷한 대상들 사이의 차이가 뚜렷하여 알아볼 수 있는 상태가 되다seo ro pi seu tan tae sang deul sa i ui cha i ga ttu ryeo ta yeo a ra bol ssu in neun sang tae ga toe da

Word origin

구별되다 (gubyeoldoeda, "be told apart") combines 구별 (gubyeol, "distinguishing") with 되다 (doeda, "become"), describing a state in which differences can be recognized.

Usage tips

  • This form describes the resulting state rather than the act of making a distinction, which helps explain why it fits situations where recognition is easy or difficult.

Opposites

  • 혼동되다hondongdoedabe confusedverb

Related words

Word lists with this word