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HSK 3

只

only; merely

adverbneutral1 episode
只
zhǐ3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
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Pinyin
zhǐ
Part of speech
adverb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
5
Register
neutral
In episodes
1

Stroke order for 只

只 is written with 5 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 只 mean?

只 (zhǐ) as an adverb means 'only,' 'just,' or 'merely.'

Place it directly before a verb to restrict what's done — 我只喝水 (Wǒ zhǐ hē shuǐ, 'I only drink water'). Two things differ from English 'only.' First, position matters: 只 sits before the verb, not before the noun it logically limits. To say 'only I went,' you'd say 只有我去了 (Zhǐ yǒu wǒ qù le), using 只有.

Second, 只 frequently pairs with 才 in patterns like 只有…才… ('only if/when … then …') to express necessary conditions. Note that the same character read in the first tone, 只 (zhī), is a completely different word — a measure word for animals and one item of a pair (一只猫, 一只手). HSK lists both meanings under the same character.

Note: The adverb 只 (zhǐ) is read with a third tone and means 'only.' The same character read 只 (zhī) is a measure word for animals (cats, dogs, birds) and one of a pair (one hand, one shoe). Same character, different tones, different meanings — context tells you which.

Hear 只 in real episodes

只 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Two Pygmy Goats Boarded a Portland City Bus. Some Passengers Never Looked Up From Their Phones.只 spoken at natural speedbeginner
Browse the full episode library

Example sentences

我只想喝水。

Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng hē shuǐ.

I just want to drink water.

spoken

他只有十块钱。

Tā zhǐ yǒu shí kuài qián.

He only has ten yuan.

neutral

我只是开个玩笑。

Wǒ zhǐ shì kāi ge wánxiào.

I'm just joking.

spoken

只要你来，我就高兴。

Zhǐ yào nǐ lái, wǒ jiù gāoxìng.

As long as you come, I'm happy.

neutral

今天只有他一个人在家。

Jīntiān zhǐ yǒu tā yí ge rén zài jiā.

Today only he is at home.

neutral

Common phrases with 只

只有zhǐ yǒuonly have; only
只是zhǐ shìonly; merely; it's just that
只要zhǐ yàoas long as; if only
只好zhǐ hǎohave no choice but to
不只bù zhǐnot only

Synonyms

仅jǐn

仅 means 'only' but is more formal and written. 只 is the everyday spoken word. News reports use 仅; conversation uses 只.

光guāng

光 means 'only/just' in a slightly more colloquial sense, often implying 'nothing but': 别光说不做 ('don't just talk without doing'). 只 is more neutral and universal.

Don't confuse 只 with

只 (zhī)zhī

Same character, first tone — a measure word for most animals (一只狗, 一只鸟) and one of a pair (一只手, 一只鞋). 只 (zhǐ, 3rd tone) means 'only.' Context and tone tell them apart.

之zhī

之 is a classical particle similar to 的 (possessive/modifier marker), seen in fixed expressions like 之一 ('one of'). Visually similar to 只 but a completely different function word.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

车站bus stop, station打电话to make a phone call跟着to follow看见to see门door请to ask, to invite上to get on手机mobile phone下to get off羊goat, sheep知道to know

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