1.
separation; parting
Being separated from someone, especially a loved one, with emotional weight. Implies a significant, often permanent separation.
親子の離別はつらい。
Separation between parent and child is painful.
戦争で家族と離別した。
I was separated from my family by the war.
幼い頃に母親と離別し、祖父母に育てられた。
Separated from my mother at a young age, I was raised by my grandparents.
2.
divorce; marital separation
The formal dissolution of a marriage or the act of husband and wife separating. A formal or literary alternative to 離婚.
夫婦が離別する。
A married couple separates.
離別後、子供の親権が問題になった。
After the divorce, child custody became an issue.
両親が離別したのは私が五歳のときだった。
My parents divorced when I was five years old.
Composed of 離 (separate, leave) + 別 (part, divide). Carries a more emotional and literary tone than everyday words for separation or divorce.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 家族との離別: separation from family
- 夫婦の離別: marital separation
- 離別を経験する: to experience separation
- 離別後: after the separation/divorce
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 別離: parting, separation — more literary and poetic; emphasizes emotional pain
- 離婚: divorce — the standard legal and everyday term for divorce
- 離散: dispersal, scattering — used when family members are scattered to different places, often by war or disaster
- 別れ: parting, farewell — the most common everyday word for parting
REGISTER:
Formal and somewhat literary. In everyday conversation, 別れ or 離婚 would be more natural.