只
只 (zhǐ) means “only”. It is made of 口 + 八 and has 5 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 只 into its parts
What 只 is made of
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 八 bā — eight
Origin hint: Simple words 八 coming from the mouth 口 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
只 stroke order
Example sentences
我只有十块钱。Wǒ zhǐ yǒu shí kuài qián.I only have ten yuan.
你只喝茶吗？Nǐ zhǐ hē chá ma?Do you only drink tea?
Words with 只
- 只能zhǐnéngcan only
- 只要zhǐyàoas long as
- 只好zhǐhǎoto have to
- 只是zhǐshìjust
- 只有zhǐyǒuonly
- 只有才zhǐyǒu…cáionly if … then …
Also built with 口
- 中zhōngmiddle
- 享xiǎngto share
- 京jīngcapital
- 亮liàngbright
- 兄xiōngelder brother
- 加jiāto add
- 占zhànto occupy
- 古gǔancient
- 句jùmeasure word for sentences
- 另lìnganother
- 叨dāotalkative
- 叫jiàoto be called
Quick facts
| Pinyin | zhǐ |
|---|---|
| Meaning | only; just |
| Strokes | 5 |
| Radical | 口 (mouth, #30) |
| Pattern | Top–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 2 (2021) · Old HSK 3 |
Questions about 只
What does 只 mean?
只 (zhǐ) means “only; just”.
How many strokes does 只 have?
只 has 5 strokes.
What is the radical of 只?
The radical of 只 is 口 (kǒu, “mouth”), Kangxi radical number 30.
What parts make up 只?
只 is made of 口 (mouth) and 八 (eight).
Which HSK level is 只?
只 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Learn 只 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 28: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.