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(zhǐ) - only, just, merely in Mandarin

zhǐ

Traditional: 只

HSK 3
#161 of 2,700Core 1000

Translation

only, just, merely

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Word origin

只 is 口 (mouth) with two short strokes beneath it, read in the Shuowen as breath falling away, and the graph was borrowed early on for the adverb 'only'. Simplified Chinese later merged in 隻, the old measure word, which is why the same character is also the measure word zhī.

Origin
ideograph
Root
口 (mouth) over two marks

Stroke order

Stroke order for 只

只

Examples

。

I only have one older brother.

，。

He only drinks water, not tea.

。

Only two people can sit here.

。

I only want to drink water.

。

I just want to rest for a moment.

只 (zhǐ) means "only" or "just", and it normally goes in front of the verb, even where English puts "only" before a noun: 我只想喝水 (I only want to drink water), 他只喝水，不喝茶 (he only drinks water, not tea). It builds several everyday words of its own: 只有 (only, only if), 只是 (merely), 只能 (can only).

The same character read zhī is a different word, the measure word for animals: 一只猫 (a cat). After a number or 这 / 那 and before a noun it is the measure word; in front of a verb it is "only", even straight after 这 / 那 (这只是一个开始, this is only a beginning).

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Appears in 6 words

Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 只.

只是zhǐ shìjust, merely, only只有zhǐ yǒuonly, just, the only one只要zhǐ yàoas long as, provided that, if only只能zhǐ néngcan only, have no choice but to只会zhī huìcan only, will only只不过zhī bú guòmerely, only, just, no more than

Used in

Stories

(6)

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Mandarin · Free printables

只: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "只" (only, just, merely): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is taught in chapter 4, lesson 7: 只, 更, 最 and 8 more words.