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才cáithen and only then; not until

HSK 3word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

才 (cái) means "then and only then" or "not until" when something happens later than expected, "only" before a small quantity, and "only" before a clock time to say that time is not late. This entry covers those adverb uses, not the noun "talent."

What does 才 mean?

  1. 1.

    then and only then; not untiladverb

  2. 2.

    only (before a quantity)adverb

  3. 3.

    only (before a clock time; "not late")adverb

What does the character 才 mean?

  • 才then and only then; not until

How do you use 才?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb

    Put 才 after a time word to say the action happened later than expected ("not until").

  2. 2

    …，才 + Verb Phrase

    After effort or a prior event, 才 leads into what only then became possible ("only after / only then").

  3. 3

    才 (+ Verb) + Measure + Noun

    Use 才 before a small quantity to stress "only" that amount.

才 sits before the verb phrase; for lateness, learners often pair it with a time word, and the verb after 才 usually does not take 了.

Patterns

  • Time + 才 + Verb

    他八点才来。

    Tā bā diǎn cái lái.

    He didn't come until eight.

  • 才 + Number + Measure

    我才买了两个。

    Wǒ cái mǎi le liǎng gè.

    I only bought two.

What are some examples of 才 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    他八点才来。

    Tā bā diǎn cái lái.

    He didn't come until eight.

  2. HSK 2

    我看了两次才知道。

    Wǒ kàn le liǎng cì cái zhīdào.

    Only after reading/looking twice did I know.

  3. HSK 1

    现在才九点。

    Xiànzài cái jiǔ diǎn.

    It's only nine o'clock.

  4. HSK 1

    我才买了两个。

    Wǒ cái mǎi le liǎng gè.

    I only bought two.

How is 才 different from 就?

才 often marks lateness ("not until"); 就 often marks earliness ("as early as"). 他八点才来 stresses late arrival; 他八点就来 stresses arriving early.

Only 才 fits here

他八点才来。

Tā bā diǎn cái lái.

He didn't come until eight.

How is 才 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    他来了吗？

    Tā lái le ma?

    Has he come?

  2. Speaker B:

    他八点才来。

    Tā bā diǎn cái lái.

    He didn't come until eight.

  3. Speaker A:

    现在几点？

    Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?

    What time is it now?

  4. Speaker B:

    现在才九点。

    Xiànzài cái jiǔ diǎn.

    It's only nine.

  5. Speaker A:

    你买了几个？

    Nǐ mǎi le jǐ gè?

    How many did you buy?

  6. Speaker B:

    我才买了两个。

    Wǒ cái mǎi le liǎng gè.

    I only bought two.

Can you use 才 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 他八点___来。 (He didn't come until eight.)
  2. 2.Which means "It's only nine o'clock"?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: 我___买了两个。

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.