特 té / tè — special; unusual; extraordinary; male animal; special (-ly)
今天天气特别热。Jīn tiān tiān qì tè bié rè.The weather is especially hot today.
Common words: 特别 (tè bié)、特点 (tè diǎn)、特色 (tè sè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "special"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "special", including 特 (té / tè), 特 (té / tè), 专 (zhuān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "special" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 特 (té / tè), 特 (té / tè), 专 (zhuān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span té, tè, zhuān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 特 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 特 té / tèspecial; unusual; extraordinary; male animal; special (-ly)Useful words: 特别, 特点
- 特 té / tèspecial; unusual; extraordinary; male animal; special (-ly)Useful words: 特别, 特点
- 专 zhuānfor a particular person; occasion; purpose; focused on one thing; special; expertUseful words: 专家, 专业
Common words for these 3 "special" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 特 (té / tè) — so "special" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
特别tè biéunusual; special; very; especially特点tè diǎncharacteristic; trait; feature特色tè sèa characteristic; a distinctive feature or quality特别tè biéunusual; special; very; especially特点tè diǎncharacteristic; trait; feature特色tè sèa characteristic; a distinctive feature or quality专家zhuān jiāexpert; specialist专业zhuān yèspecialty; specialized field; main field of study (at university); major专门zhuān ménspecialized; dedicated (to a particular field or purpose); specially; specifically (for a particular purpose)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "special".
特 té / tè — special; unusual; extraordinary; male animal; special (-ly)
今天天气特别热。Jīn tiān tiān qì tè bié rè.The weather is especially hot today.
Common words: 特别 (tè bié)、特点 (tè diǎn)、特色 (tè sè)
专 zhuān — for a particular person; occasion; purpose; focused on one thing; special; expert
他是一位电脑专家。Tā shì yí wèi diàn nǎo zhuān jiā.He is a computer expert.
Common words: 专家 (zhuān jiā)、专业 (zhuān yè)、专门 (zhuān mén)
All 3 characters
Open 特、特、专 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.