How to Write 专 (zhuān) — Meaning “special; concentrated; expert”

Picture an expert (专家) drawing a long horizontal line and then adding a vertical line down the middle to show they are 'centered' on their topic, finishing with a dot as a final point of emphasis. This helps you remember the three strokes (一, 丨, 丶) and the idea of being concentrated.

The stroke order is: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, then dot. Make sure the vertical stroke goes straight through the middle of both horizontal lines, and the final dot is placed just below the second horizontal line, not to the side. A common mistake is making the vertical stroke too short or writing the dot as a line.

专 has straight, angular strokes with a small dot at the bottom, while 丁 (dīng) has a hooked vertical stroke and no dot, and 丂 (kǎo) has a curved horizontal stroke at the top. Unlike 丁 and 丂, 专 always uses a dot (丶) as its final stroke, giving it a distinct, compact shape.

The character 专 appears in everyday words like 专家 (expert), 专业 (major/profession), and 专门 (specially/for a specific purpose). In Chinese education, students choose a 专业 when entering university, and calling someone a 专家 is a sign of high respect for their deep knowledge in a field.

Common words containing 专 include: 专家 (zhuān jiā) — expert; specialist; 专业 (zhuān yè) — major; profession; professional; 专门 (zhuān mén) — special; specialized; specifically.