特别 meaning in English
unusual; special; very; especially; particularly
Meaning of 特别
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- unusual; special
- very; especially; particularly
- expressly; for a specific purpose
- (often followed by 是[shi4]) in particular
How to use 特别
As an adjective, 特别 means special or unusual. As an adverb before an adjective or verb, it means very or especially, and 特别是 introduces a particular case. Example: 今天特别冷。(Jīntiān tèbié lěng.) It is especially cold today.
特 (tè) appears in 特点 (tèdiǎn), a feature that makes something stand out, and 别 (bié) means other or different, as in 别人 (biérén). Something 特别 stands out and is different from the rest, so it is special.
Common mistake: Learners often say 很特别 to mean very special, which is fine, but then also write 特别很冷. As an adverb, 特别 already means very, so use 特别冷 alone. Also keep the tones straight: tè is fourth tone and bié is second tone, not bié bié.
特别 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
特 tè · special · 10 strokes
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别 bié · to leave · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 特别.
| 别人 | biérén | other people; others; other person |
| 别的 | biéde | else; other |
| 特点 | tèdiǎn | characteristic; trait; feature |
| 区别 | qūbié | difference; to distinguish |
| 分别 | fēnbié | to part; to leave each other; to distinguish; to tell apart |
| 告别 | gàobié | to leave; to part from; to bid farewell to; to say goodbye to |
| 性别 | xìngbié | sex; gender |
| 特色 | tèsè | a characteristic; a distinctive feature or quality |
| 特殊 | tèshū | special; particular |
| 独特 | dútè | unique; distinctive |
| 特征 | tèzhēng | characteristic; diagnostic property |
| 模特儿 | mótèr | (fashion) model (loanword) |
Questions about 特别
What does 特别 mean?
特别 (tèbié) means "unusual; special; very; especially; particularly" and is used as a adjective and adverb.
How do you write 特别?
特别 is made of 2 characters: 特 (10 strokes), 别 (7 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 特别 an HSK word?
Yes. 特别 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 特别 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 特别 is written 特別.
What is the difference between 特别 and 特殊?
Both can mean special. 特别 is everyday and can also work as an adverb meaning very. 特殊 (tèshū) is more formal, is only an adjective, and often describes special cases or conditions, as in 特殊情况 (tèshū qíngkuàng), special circumstances.
Can 特别 mean on purpose?
Yes. 特别 can mean expressly or for a specific purpose, similar to 特意 (tèyì). For example, 我特别为你买的。(Wǒ tèbié wèi nǐ mǎi de.) I bought it especially for you.