Meaning of 才
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ability; talent
- sb of a certain type
- a capable individual
- then and only then
- just now
- (before an expression of quantity) only
- (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) really; actually
- (variant of 才[cai2]) just now
- (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only
How to use 才
As an adverb, 才 (cái) often means "only then" or "not until" and shows that something happened later than expected. It can also mean "only" before a number, or add emphasis in a correction. Example: 他十点才起床。(Tā shí diǎn cái qǐchuáng.) He didn't get up until ten.
The shape of 才 looks like a small sprout pushing up through the ground, a hint of talent that is only just starting to show. Think of it as something that appears late, which links to its adverb meaning "only then" or "not until".
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù). 才 means later or more than expected, while 就 means earlier or sooner than expected, and sentences with 才 usually do not end with 了. Also do not confuse the shape with 寸 (cùn) or オ-like strokes, since 才 has a hooked vertical crossing the horizontal plus a slanting stroke.
才 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.
才 cái · ability · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 才.
| 刚才 | gāngcái | just now; a moment ago |
| 才能 | cáinéng | talent; ability |
| 人才 | réncái | talent; talented person |
| 天才 | tiāncái | talent; gift |
| 才华 | cáihuá | talent |
| 口才 | kǒucái | eloquence |
| 成才 | chéngcái | to make sth of oneself; to become a person who is worthy of respect |
| 奴才 | núcai | slave; fig. flunkey |
| 鬼才 | guǐcái | creative genius |
| 才艺 | cáiyì | talent |
| 才华横溢 | cáihuáhéngyì | brimming over with talent (esp. literary); brilliant |
| 奇才 | qícái | genius |
Questions about 才
What does 才 mean?
才 (cái) means "ability; talent; sb of a certain type" and is used as a adverb and noun.
How do you write 才?
才 is made of 1 character: 才 (3 strokes). That is 3 strokes in total.
Is 才 an HSK word?
Yes. 才 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 才 mean before a number?
Before a quantity, 才 means "only" and suggests the amount is small. For example, 他才五岁。(Tā cái wǔ suì.) means "He is only five years old."
How is 才 used for emphasis?
In a correction or contrast, 才 stresses that something is really true, often with 呢 at the end. For example, 我才不去呢。(Wǒ cái bú qù ne.) means "I'm definitely not going."