Writing
只是 (zhǐ shì) — how to say "only" in Chinese
只是
Only, just
scope adverb · conjunction
How to use it
Goes before the verb and refers to what comes before it.
我只是看看。
wǒ zhǐ shì kàn kan
I'm just looking.
Character composition
只
only
是
to be
Radicals / Keys
口
Mouth
#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes
日
Sun
#72 · rì · 4 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
只是开个玩笑
zhǐ shì kāi ge wánxiào
just joking
只是时间问题
zhǐ shì shíjiān wèntí
just a matter of time
Examples
我只是想看看你的新家。
I just want to see your new home.
我只是学生。
I am just a student.
Mnemonic
[zhǐ shì-] The bird Zhi and a bear cub named Shi play hide-and-seek 🐻. Zhi searches and finds only an empty box. '只是 a box!' she says. Bear cub Shi jumps out laughing: it's just a game, only that.
Try remembering 只是
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "only" in Chinese?
"only" in Chinese is 只是 (zhǐ shì).
只是 meaning in English
只是 (zhǐ shì) means "Only, just".
How is 只是 pronounced?
It is pronounced zhǐ shì (written as zhi shi, zhishi). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "only" in Chinese characters?
It is written 只是: 只 has 5 strokes, 是 has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 只是?
只是 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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