Writing
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.
Radicals / Keys
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

[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. 🐱📦
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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