就 jiù — at once; then; right away; only; (emphasis); to approach
你休息一下，我马上就回来。Nǐ xiū xi yí xià, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù huí lái.Take a rest; I'll be right back.
Common words: 就要 (jiù yào)、早就 (zǎo jiù)、就是 (jiù shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "only"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "only", including 就 (jiù), 但 (dàn), 才 (cái), 单 (dān / chán / shàn), 仅 (jǐn), 独 (dú). Study pinyin…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "only" covers 10 different Chinese characters — 就 (jiù), 但 (dàn), 才 (cái), 单 (dān / chán / shàn), 仅 (jǐn), 独 (dú), 唯 (wéi / wěi), 乃 (nǎi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 10 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiù, dàn, cái, dān, chán, shàn, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 就 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 就 jiùat once; then; right away; only; (emphasis); to approachUseful words: 就要, 早就
- 但 dànbut; yet; however; only; merely; stillUseful words: 但是, 不但
- 才 cáiability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then)Useful words: 刚才, 人才
- 单 dān / chán / shànchieftain; bill; list; form; single; onlyUseful words: 名单, 单位
- 仅 jǐnbarely; only; merelyUseful words: 不仅, 仅仅
Common words for these 10 "only" characters
Anchor each of these 10 characters in a word you can picture — start with 就 (jiù) — so "only" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
就要jiù yàowill; shall; to be going to早就zǎo jiùalready at an earlier time就是jiù shìexactly; precisely; only; simply但是dàn shìbut; however不但bù dànnot only (... but also ...)但愿dàn yuànif only (sth were possible); I wish (that)刚才gāng cáijust now; a moment ago人才rén cáitalent; talented person; looks; attractive looks才能cái néngtalent; ability; capacity名单míng dānlist of names
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 10 ways to say "only".
但 dàn — but; yet; however; only; merely; still
我想去，但是没有时间。Wǒ xiǎng qù, dàn shì méi yǒu shí jiān.I want to go, but I do not have time.
Common words: 但是 (dàn shì)、不但 (bù dàn)、但愿 (dàn yuàn)
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)
单 dān / chán / shàn — chieftain; bill; list; form; single; only
请把名单交给老师。Qǐng bǎ míng dān jiāo gěi lǎo shī.Please hand the name list to the teacher.
Common words: 名单 (míng dān)、单位 (dān wèi)、菜单 (cài dān)
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)
独 dú — alone; independent; single; sole; only
他喜欢一个人独自看书。Tā xǐ huan yí ge rén dú zì kàn shū.He likes reading alone by himself.
Common words: 独立 (dú lì)、单独 (dān dú)、独特 (dú tè)
唯 wéi / wěi — -ism; only; alone; yes
这是我们唯一的机会，一定要把握住。Zhè shì wǒ men wéi yī de jī huì, yí dìng yào bǎ wò zhù.This is our only chance; we must seize it.
Common words: 唯一 (wéi yī)、唯独 (wéi dú)、唯有 (wéi yǒu)
乃 nǎi — to be; thus; so; therefore; then; only
失败乃成功之母。Shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ.Failure is the mother of success.
Common words: 乃至 (nǎi zhì)、乃是 (nǎi shì)、乃尔 (nǎi ěr)
All 10 characters
Open 就、但、才 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.