仅 jǐn — barely; only; merely
这家店仅在周末营业。Zhè jiā diàn jǐn zài zhōu mò yíng yè.This shop is only open on weekends.
Common words: 不仅 (bù jǐn)、仅仅 (jǐn jǐn)、不仅仅 (bù jǐn jǐn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "barely"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "barely", including 仅 (jǐn), 刚 (gāng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "barely" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 仅 (jǐn), 刚 (gāng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jǐn, gāng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 仅 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 仅 jǐnbarely; only; merelyUseful words: 不仅, 仅仅
- 刚 gānghard; firm; strong; just; barely; exactlyUseful words: 刚刚, 刚才
Common words for these 2 "barely" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 仅 (jǐn) — so "barely" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "barely".
刚 gāng — hard; firm; strong; just; barely; exactly
我刚到家就下雨了。Wǒ gāng dào jiā jiù xià yǔ le.It started raining as soon as I got home.
Common words: 刚刚 (gāng gang)、刚才 (gāng cái)、刚好 (gāng hǎo)
All 2 characters
Open 仅、刚 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.