才 cái — ability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then)
他努力学习，才考出了好成绩。Tā nǔ lì xué xí, cái kǎo chū le hǎo chéng jì.He studied hard, and only then got good grades.
Common words: 刚才 (gāng cái)、人才 (rén cái)、才能 (cái néng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "gift"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "gift", including 才 (cái), 礼 (lǐ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "gift" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 才 (cái), 礼 (lǐ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cái, lǐ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 才 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 才 cáiability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then)Useful words: 刚才, 人才
- 礼 lǐgift; propriety; riteUseful words: 礼物, 婚礼
Common words for these 2 "gift" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 才 (cái) — so "gift" 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 "gift".
礼 lǐ — gift; propriety; rite
见到长辈要懂得有礼貌。Jiàn dào zhǎng bèi yào dǒng de yǒu lǐ mào.When you meet elders, you should be polite.
Common words: 礼物 (lǐ wù)、婚礼 (hūn lǐ)、礼貌 (lǐ mào)
All 2 characters
Open 才、礼 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.