特别
especially; particularly; special
HSK level
- Pinyin
- tèbié
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 17
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 6
Stroke order for 特别
特别 is written with 17 strokes (特: 10, 别: 7). The animation replays automatically.
What does 特别 mean?
特别 (tèbié) plays two main roles.
As an adverb (the most common HSK 3 use), it intensifies whatever follows — 'especially / particularly / really.' 特别好 means 'particularly good,' 特别冷 means 'really cold.' It's stronger than 很 (hěn, 'very') and slightly more emphatic than 非常 (fēicháng). As an adjective, it means 'special / unusual' — 一个特别的礼物 ('a special gift'), 他很特别 ('he's unique / unusual').
A common pattern is 特别是 (tèbié shì, 'especially / above all'): 我喜欢水果，特别是苹果 ('I like fruit, especially apples'). Native speakers use 特别 constantly in spoken Chinese — it's warmer and more conversational than the more formal 尤其 (yóuqí). Don't confuse with 别 alone, which means 'don't.'
Character by character
Memory hook: 特 'special' + 别 'other / set apart' = set apart as special — particularly, especially.
Hear 特别 in real episodes
特别 appears in 6 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
在德国，有些信是很特别的。
In Germany, some letters are special.
Berlin Had Sixteen Months to Switch Envelopes. The New Ones Ran Out in Two Weeks, and People Due in Prison Stayed Home.Elementary
第二，门是锁着的，但开门的方式很特别。
Second, the door is locked, but the way you open it is unusual.
New York Put Free Toilets on the Street, and the Door Slides Open by Itself After Exactly Ten Minutes — Finished or NotIntermediate
它有一个特别的地方：不是天生的，是被一只虫子装上去的。
It has one unusual feature: it is not something you are born with. An insect installs it.
Tick Allergy Leads Nutritionist to Raise Ostriches
这座小山的名字很特别，叫"喀拉喀托之子"。
The name of this small mountain is unusual: "Child of Krakatoa".
Anak Krakatau Eruption Strands 270,000 TravelersElementary
Example sentences
今天天气特别好。
Jīntiān tiānqì tèbié hǎo.
The weather is especially nice today.
spoken
我特别喜欢吃中国菜。
Wǒ tèbié xǐhuan chī Zhōngguó cài.
I particularly love Chinese food.
spoken
他送了我一个特别的礼物。
Tā sòng le wǒ yí ge tèbié de lǐwù.
He gave me a special gift.
neutral
我喜欢水果，特别是苹果。
Wǒ xǐhuan shuǐguǒ, tèbié shì píngguǒ.
I like fruit, especially apples.
neutral
这个地方没什么特别的。
Zhège dìfang méi shénme tèbié de.
There's nothing special about this place.
spoken
Common phrases with 特别
Synonyms
非常 means 'extremely / very' and works in any context, slightly more formal. 特别 has the extra meaning of 'specifically / set apart,' and it can also be an adjective ('special'). 非常 can only be an adverb.
尤其 means 'especially / above all,' more formal and often used in writing. 特别 covers the same meaning but is the everyday spoken choice.
格外 also means 'particularly / exceptionally,' but it's literary and emphasizes 'beyond the normal range.' 特别 is the everyday word.
Don't confuse 特别 with
别 alone means 'don't' (别去 = 'don't go') or 'other.' 特别 is 'especially / special.' Beginners sometimes drop the 特 by mistake and reverse the meaning.
特 by itself appears mainly in compounds (特点 'characteristic,' 特色 'distinctive feature'). As a freestanding adverb meaning 'especially,' you must say 特别, not just 特, in standard Mandarin.
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
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