单独 dāndú alone
alone; by oneself; on one's own
How to remember 单独: 单 single + 独 alone = alone.
Characters
How it is used
- Alone / separately / on one's own - 单独行动 (dāndú xíngdòng) act alone; 单独谈谈 (dāndú tántan) talk one-on-one.
- An adverb of manner (doing something in isolation), contrast 一个人 (yí ge rén, by oneself) which is more colloquial, and 孤独 (gūdú, lonely) which is an emotional state.
- Often 'individually/separately' vs. as a group: 单独包装 (dāndú bāozhuāng) packaged separately.
Example sentences
- 我想和汤姆单独谈一谈。 Wǒ xiǎng hé tāngmǔ dāndú tányītán.I'd like to talk to Tom alone.