Difference between もうひとつの, 別の and ほかの


I read [this sentence](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/62730/how-
to-say-when-this-kanji-appears-inside-of-anther-kanji-we-will-give-it-the-me)
in another post:

> でも貝のかんじに **もうひとつ** のいみをつけます。  
>  But we will assign another meaning to the kanji 貝.

Putting aside any other problems with this sentence, I feel that もう一つ isn't
the right word to use for 'another' in this context. I may of course be wrong,
but I would have gone with 別の or 他の instead, but I can't explain why (maybe
because I'm talking nonsense).

Anyway, I'm now wondering what the difference is between もうひとつ, 別 and 他 when
used to mean 'another'.




I think the difference is subtle here.

もうひとつ means _another_ by way of meaning _one other_ or _one more_.

別 can mean _another_ by way of meaning _different._

他 is probably the truest sense of the word _another,_ but there are cases
where you'd use one of the other two in a more natural context.

In the sense of the given phrase, I think all three utterances work equally
well:

> でも貝のかんじにもうひとつのいみをつけます。  
>  でも貝のかんじに別｛べつ｝のいみをつけます。  
>  でも貝のかんじに他｛ほか｝のいみをつけます。

If もうひとつ was chosen here it was merely because it is probably the first of the
three phrases to be introduced in a textbook.




I think the difference is subtle here.

もうひとつ means _another_ by way of meaning _one other_ or _one more_.

別 can mean _another_ by way of meaning _different._

他 is probably the truest sense of the word _another,_ but there are cases
where you'd use one of the other two in a more natural context.

In the sense of the given phrase, I think all three utterances work equally
well:

> でも貝のかんじにもうひとつのいみをつけます。  
>  でも貝のかんじに別｛べつ｝のいみをつけます。  
>  でも貝のかんじに他｛ほか｝のいみをつけます。

If もうひとつ was chosen here it was merely because it is probably the first of the
three phrases to be introduced in a textbook.

