才 cái
“ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual”
adverb, conjunction, nounHSK 3 · 2021 list level 2
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
才 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entries. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 544: 才1 cái — Level 3; official annotation 3 (副). PDF page 93
- Entry 2083: 才2 cái — Level 5; official annotation 5 (名). PDF page 132
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 才
才 as an adverb means "only then / not until": something happens later or under a necessary condition. It comes after the time word or the first clause and directly before the verb, e.g. 他十点才来 (he didn't come until ten). It also means "only" with small numbers or amounts, as in 他才五岁.
例句Example sentences
- 他昨天十点才来学校。tā zuó tiān shí diǎn cái lái xué xiào.He didn't come to school until ten o'clock yesterday.
- 我做完作业才看电视。wǒ zuò wán zuò yè cái kàn diàn shì.I only watch TV after I finish my homework.
- 你怎么现在才吃饭？nǐ zěn me xiàn zài cái chī fàn?How come you're only eating now?
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗他十点来了才。
✓他十点才来。
才 is an adverb and must go before the verb, never at the end of the sentence.
-
✗我做完作业就才去睡觉。
✓我做完作业才去睡觉。
才 alone already means "only then", so it is not used together with 就 in this pattern.
易混词Easily confused
才vs就
就 suggests something happens early or right away (他八点就来了), while 才 suggests it happens late or only after a condition (他十点才来).
深度指南Grammar & comparison guides
义项All meanings
- cái: ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only
- cái: (variant of 才) just now; (variant of 才) (before an expression of quantity) only