独 dú alone
alone; independent; only; single; solitary; sole
How to remember 独: 犭 dog + 虫 insect = alone. The old dog sniffs a single insect in the empty yard, since everyone has gone on holiday and left him alone.
Component breakdown
独 = 犭 dog + 虫 insect
- 犭 dog
- 虫 insect
The old dog sniffs a single insect in the empty yard, since everyone has gone on holiday and left him alone.
How it is used
- Means alone, sole, or independent, but the compounds it forms are not interchangeable: 单独 dāndú describes doing something physically separately/by oneself (单独谈谈 "talk one-on-one"), 独自 dúzì is a more literary way to say "alone" while performing an action (独自旅行 "travel alone"), and 孤独 gūdú describes the emotional feeling of loneliness, not physical solitude.
- 独立 dúlì (independent) is the standard word for personal, national, or financial independence.
- 唯独 wéidú means "only, solely" in the sense of singling out one exception among many - a slightly formal connector.