noun
distinction; difference; discrimination
Used for conceptual or categorical separation, often in phrases like 別にする (treat separately) or 別として (apart from).
仕事とプライベートは別に考えている。
I think of work and private life as separate things.
男女の別なく応募できる。
Anyone can apply regardless of gender.
noun
Used in the pattern 別として (apart from, except for) to single out something as an exception.
See also: 別として
冗談は別として、真面目な話をしよう。
Joking aside, let's talk seriously.
noun, used as a suffix
classified by; ranked by; according to
Suffix attached to nouns to indicate categorization, as in 男女別 (by gender) or 年齢別 (by age).
See also: 男女別
参加者を年齢別にグループ分けした。
We divided the participants into groups by age.
Kana spelling is common in informal writing.
The kanji 別 originally depicts a knife separating flesh from bone, conveying the idea of division or distinction. The reading べつ is the on'yomi.