刚才
HSK 3 (exam 2025)HSK 2 (2021)Old HSK 3
刚才 (gāngcái) · just now
刚才 (gāngcái) means “just now; a moment ago”. It is written with 2 characters: 刚 (just) + 才 (talent). It is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 刚才 is built
The characters
刚 gāng · just
What 刚 is made of
- 冈gāng — ridge or crest of hill
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 乂yì — crossed strokes
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 刂dāo — knife
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 亅 — hook
Origin hint: 刂 gives the meaning, 冈 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
才 cái · talent
What 才 is made of
- 扌shǒu — hand
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亅 — hook
- 二 — two strokes
Origin hint: A sprout growing in the ground, representing a budding talent (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
刚才谁给我打电话了？Gāngcái shéi gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà le?Who called me just now?
他刚才还在这里。Tā gāngcái hái zài zhèlǐ.He was here a moment ago.
Questions about 刚才
What does 刚才 mean?
刚才 (gāngcái) means “just now; a moment ago”.
How do you pronounce 刚才?
刚才 is pronounced gāngcái.
Which HSK level is 刚才?
刚才 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Related words
- 刚刚gānggangjust now
- 刚gāngjust
- 才能cáinéngtalent
- 人才réncáitalented person
- 只有才zhǐyǒu…cáionly if … then …
- 才干cáigànability
- 天才tiāncáigenius
- 才cáitalent
Learn 刚才 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 26: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.