才 (cái) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

才

cái[cai2]Tone 2

ability; talent; just now; only

HSK 2

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · ability; talent; just now; only

Cached lesson

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Topology:Single character

Strokes:3

Writing Balance Rule: Write the vertical line down the center with a slight curve or hook at the bottom, and keep the horizontal stroke balanced across the middle.

1. Meaning

ability, talent, or just now

a capable individualthen and only thenonly (before an expression of quantity)

noun / adverbNeutral#time#capability#logic

Sample Usage

他刚才出去了。
Tā gāngcái chūqù le.
He just went out a moment ago.
他很有才华。
Tā hěn cáihuá.
He has a lot of talent.

2. Sound

/[tsʰaɪ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35

才

cáicai2

´(35)

=cái

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Dental Sibilant

Sounds like: ts sound like in 'cats' or 'ritz'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Sharp burst of air through teeth! Tissue MUST flutter strongly.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches back of lower teeth, releasing a sharp puff of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: ai rhymes with 'eye'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eye'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises just like asking 'Huh?' or 'What?' in English when you need clarification.

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, it shifts slightly, but remains a rising tone.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the initial ts- sound with the retroflex ch- sound, or confusing Tone 2 (rising) with Tone 4 (falling).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine shrugging your shoulders upward in a questioning 'Really?' motion, moving your hand from low to high.

3. Writing

Topology: Single character · Strokes: 3 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Write the vertical line down the center with a slight curve or hook at the bottom, and keep the horizontal stroke balanced across the middle.

4. Components

Radical 才 · Talent Radical (ability, sprout, timber)

Originally depicted a sprouting plant pushing up from the earth, symbolizing the initial burst of life, capability, or potential.

一 Horizontal line representing the ground or baseline
丨 Vertical trunk or sprouting shoot
丿 Slanting stroke representing a branch or flexible strength

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

7· Phonetic Root: 才 (cái)

5. History

Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)

Origin: In Oracle Bone script, it represented a plant sprouting or pushing up from the soil, symbolizing the origin of life and latent potential.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical concept of a sprouting plant or sturdy timber, the meaning expanded to 'ability' (human potential), 'just now' (starting point in time), and 'only' (limiting condition).

The character has only 3 strokes, making it one of the most fundamental building blocks in Chinese script.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

tài

Mandarin rising tone corresponds closely to Vietnamese hỏi or sắc depending on historical register, here mapped to tài.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: サイ / Kun: ざえ, 才

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

재

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

A young sprout (才) bursts out of the ground 'just now', showing incredible 'talent' and ability to grow.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

材

cáimaterial, timberAdd the tree radical (木) to show wooden timber or material.

财

cáiwealth, moneyAdd the shell/money radical (贝) to show financial wealth.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

木(mù)

木 has two downward slanted feet at the bottom, whereas 才 has a single curving vertical-hook stroke.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

他[___]回到家。

Clue: cái

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing '才' (cái - just now / only) with '就' (jiù - right away / then), or mispronouncing the initial 'c' as an English 'k' sound.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 才, what are its two major grammatical functions?

Production: How do you write the 3-stroke character meaning 'talent' or 'just now'?

才cáiability; talent; just now; only

Speed:

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