How to Write 业 (yè) — Meaning “Industry / Occupation / Business”

Imagine the character 业 looks like a small building with a roof (the top horizontal line) and two floors (the two vertical lines crossing horizontal bars). This building represents a place where people work, so you can remember it as a 'business' or 'industry' building. The simple 5-stroke shape is easy to recall as a compact symbol for work.

Write 业 with 5 strokes in this order: horizontal line (一), vertical line (丨), horizontal line (一), vertical line (丨), horizontal line (一). Make sure the two vertical strokes are parallel and evenly spaced, and the final bottom horizontal line is slightly longer than the top one. A common mistake is drawing the vertical strokes too long or uneven, which makes the character look unbalanced.

业 has 5 strokes and looks like a rectangle with two internal vertical lines, while 万 (wàn, 'ten thousand') has only 3 strokes and a curved hook-like shape on the bottom right. 丈 (zhàng, 'measure of length') also has 3 strokes and ends with a left-falling stroke (撇). The key visual difference is that 业 contains two vertical lines inside, whereas 万 and 丈 do not.

业 appears in common words like 作业 (zuò yè, homework/task), 毕业 (bì yè, to graduate), and 专业 (zhuān yè, major/profession). It is also used in 工业 (gōng yè, industry) and 事业 (shì yè, career). Culturally, 毕业 (graduation) is a significant milestone in Chinese education, often celebrated with a 毕业典礼 (graduation ceremony).

Common words containing 业 include: 作业 (zuò yè) — homework; task; 毕业 (bì yè) — To graduate; 专业 (zhuān yè) — major; profession; professional.