特 (tè) is a Chinese character meaning “special”. It is written from 牛 (ox; cow) and 寺 (temple; (as a sound part) sì), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “special”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
牛 + 寺
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 特，朴特，牛父也。从牛，寺声。
Memory aid
An ox (牛) standing at a temple (寺) — you'd notice it right away, because that's something special.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 特别tè biéespecially; special特 = tèHSK 3
- 特殊tè shūspecial; particular; unusual特 = tè
- 特赦tè shèspecial pardon (granted by the state)特 = tè
Go deeper
All readings
special
special; unusual; particularly; especially
不同于一般的；超出一般的。也表示格外、专门。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 特别tè biéespecially; special特 = tèHSK 3
- 特殊tè shūspecial; particular; unusual特 = tè
- 特赦tè shèspecial pardon (granted by the state)特 = tè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 特 mean?
特 (tè) means special; unusual; particularly; especially.
How do you pronounce 特?
It is pronounced tè.
What parts is 特 made of?
牛 (ox; cow) and 寺 (temple; (as a sound part) sì), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 特，朴特，牛父也。从牛，寺声。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 特 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 特?
牛. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 特?
Common ones are 特别 and 特殊. The reading of 特 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.