Meaning of 只
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- only; merely; just
- variant of 只[zhi3]
- variant of 只[zhi3]
- grain that has begun to ripen
How to use 只
As an adverb, 只 (zhǐ) goes before the verb to mean "only" or "just", as in 我只喝水 (wǒ zhǐ hē shuǐ), "I only drink water." It also appears in common words like 只是 (zhǐshì), 只好 (zhǐhǎo) and 只要 (zhǐyào).
只 looks like a mouth 口 (kǒu) with two little strokes below, like a few words falling out. Picture someone saying just one short thing, which links the shape to the meaning "only".
Common mistake: Learners often put 只 before the noun instead of the verb, saying 只我有一本书 when they mean 我只有一本书 (wǒ zhǐ yǒu yì běn shū), "I only have one book." Also keep the third tone zhǐ for "only". When 只 is read zhī, it has a different meaning.
只 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.
只 zhǐ · only · 5 strokes
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- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 只.
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
| 只能 | zhǐ néng | can only; obliged to do sth |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply |
| 只有 | zhǐyǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (th |
| 只好 | zhǐhǎo | to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to |
| 只不过 | zhǐbùguò | only; merely; nothing but; no more than; it's just that ... |
| 只见 | zhǐ jiàn | to see (the same thing) over and over again; to see, to one's surprise, (sth happen sudden |
| 只管 | zhǐguǎn | solely engrossed in one thing; just (one thing, no need to worry about the rest) |
| 船只 | chuánzhī | ship; boat |
| 只顾 | zhǐgù | to focus solely on; to pay attention only to; to be preoccupied with |
| 只得 | zhǐdé | to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to |
| 只怕 | zhǐpà | I'm afraid that...; perhaps |
Questions about 只
What does 只 mean?
只 (zhǐ) means "only; merely; just" and is used as a adverb and measure word.
How do you write 只?
只 is made of 1 character: 只 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.
Is 只 an HSK word?
Yes. 只 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 只 (zhǐ) and 才 (cái) when both mean only?
只 simply limits the action or amount, as in 我只有十块 (wǒ zhǐ yǒu shí kuài), "I only have ten kuai." 才 often adds a feeling that something is less or later than expected. It also pairs with 只有 in the pattern 只有...才..., "only if... then...".
How do 只好 (zhǐhǎo) and 只能 (zhǐ néng) differ?
Both suggest having no other choice. 只好 usually describes what someone ended up doing because of a situation, like 下雨了，我只好在家 (xià yǔ le, wǒ zhǐhǎo zài jiā), "It rained, so I had to stay home." 只能 focuses more on ability or permission, meaning "can only".