HSK 4

刚 (gāng) — how to say "just" in Chinese

刚

Just, barely

time adverb

How to use it

Goes after the subject, before the verb.

他刚走。

tā gāng zǒu

He just left.

Rule: Expressing "just" with "刚 (gāng)" →

Radicals / Keys

刀

Knife

#18 · dāo · 2 strokes

Synonyms

Collocations

刚来

gāng lái

just came

刚到家

gāng dào jiā

just got home

刚走

gāng zǒu

just left

Examples

他刚吃完晚饭,就接到了公司打来的一个紧急电话。

He had just finished dinner when he received an urgent call from the company.

我刚到。

I just arrived.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic for 刚 (gāng) — just, barely

[gāng-] Gang the kitten had just barely climbed out of his box when he plopped right back in. He is still so clumsy: he barely took one step and already felt tired. "I 刚 woke up!" Gang meowed and curled into a ball again. 🐱📦

Writing

Frequently asked questions

How do you say "just" in Chinese?

"just" in Chinese is 刚 (gāng).

刚 meaning in English

刚 (gāng) means "Just, barely".

How is 刚 pronounced?

It is pronounced gāng (written as gang). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "just" in Chinese characters?

It is written 刚 and has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.

What HSK level is 刚?

刚 belongs to the HSK 4 vocabulary list.

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Grammar with 刚

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