How is 才 pronounced?

才 is pronounced “cái” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 才?

才 belongs to HSK 3 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 才?

Follow the stroke-order animation above; 才 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

HSK 3adverbconjunction

才

cái

才 (cái) means “ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only”. It is an HSK 3 Chinese character in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 3 required

Example

他刚才才到。

Tā gāngcái cái dào.

He only just arrived.

Words containing 才

刚才gāng cáijust now; a moment ago 才干cái gànability; competence 人才rén cáitalent; talented person; looks; attractive looks 天才tiān cáitalent; gift; genius; talented; gifted 才能cái néngtalent; ability; capacity

More HSK 3 vocabulary

HSK 3 →

阿姨ā yímaternal aunt; step-mother; childcare worker; nursemaid; woman of similar age to one's parents (term of address used by child)啊āinterjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh!矮ǎilow; short (in length)爱好ài hàoto like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby 安静ān jìngquiet; peaceful; calm 把bǎto hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the object before the verb: 把 + {noun} + {verb})班bānsurname Ban 搬bānto move (i.e. relocate oneself); to move (sth relatively heavy or bulky); to shift; to copy indiscriminately 办法bàn fǎmeans; method; way (of doing sth)办公室bàn gōng shìoffice; business premises; bureau 半bànhalf; semi-; incomplete; (after a number) and a half 帮忙bāng mángto help; to lend a hand; to do a favor; to do a good turn

Frequently asked questions

What does 才 mean?: 才 (cái) means “ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only”. It is an HSK 3 word.
How is 才 pronounced?: 才 is pronounced “cái” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 才?: 才 belongs to HSK 3 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 才?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 才 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-05-27