业 meaning and stroke order
Line of business; industry; occupation
How to write 业, stroke by stroke
5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Meaning of 业
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- line of business
- industry
- occupation
- job
- employment
- school studies
How 业 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 一 (one), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 业
Picture 业 as a sturdy workbench: vertical posts standing on a flat base line 一 at the bottom. Your work and your trade are built on a solid foundation.
业 rarely stands alone. It appears in many words about work, fields of study and industries, such as 职业 (zhíyè) profession, 专业 (zhuānyè) major, and 工业 (gōngyè) industry. Example: 我的作业做完了。(Wǒ de zuòyè zuò wán le.) I finished my homework.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 业 (yè) with 亚 (yà, Asia), which looks similar but has a closed top stroke and a different tone. Also remember 业 is fourth tone, so 作业 is zuòyè, not zuòyē.
Common words with 业
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework | HSK 2 |
| 事业 | shìyè | undertaking; project | HSK 3 |
| 专业 | zhuānyè | specialty; specialized field | HSK 3 |
| 职业 | zhíyè | occupation; profession; vocation; professional | HSK 3 |
| 商业 | shāngyè | business; trade | HSK 3 |
| 工业 | gōngyè | industry | HSK 3 |
| 农业 | nóngyè | agriculture; farming | HSK 3 |
| 开业 | kāiyè | to open a business; to open a practice | HSK 3 |
| 就业 | jiùyè | to get a job; employment | HSK 3 |
| 创业 | chuàngyè | to begin an undertaking; to start an enterprise; entrepreneurship | HSK 3 |
| 毕业 | bìyè | graduation; to graduate | HSK 4 |
| 企业 | qǐyè | company; firm; enterprise; corporation | HSK 4 |
| 行业 | hángyè | trade; profession; industry; business | HSK 4 |
| 失业 | shīyè | unemployment; to lose one's job | HSK 4 |
业 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 业
Learning 业 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 业
How many strokes are in 业?
业 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 业 mean?
业 (yè) means line of business; industry; occupation. A common word with it is 作业 (zuòyè), meaning "school assignment; homework".
How do you pronounce 业?
业 is pronounced yè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 业?
The radical of 业 is 一, which carries the idea of "one". Dictionaries list 业 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 业?
The traditional form of 业 is 業. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 业 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 业 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 业 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 专业 and 职业?
专业 (zhuānyè) is your specialized field, often your university major, and can also mean professional in quality. 职业 (zhíyè) is your occupation or the job you do for a living.
How do I say I graduated in Chinese?
Use 毕业 (bìyè), which means to finish your studies. For example, 我去年大学毕业了 (Wǒ qùnián dàxué bìyè le) means I graduated from university last year.