How to write 只 (zhǐ, “only”)
只, an HSK 1 character, is read zhǐ for “only”, and also zhī (“classifier”). It is HSK 1 in the 2025 syllabus, down from level 2 in the 2021 standard. In traditional script some of its words keep 只 and others use 隻. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 只是 (“merely”), 只有 (“only have ...”) and 只能 (“can only”). Japanese reads it tada, “only”, as a JLPT N1 kanji.
- Pinyin
- zhǐ, zhī
- Strokes
- 5
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 口 (“mouth”)
- Traditional
- 隻
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
As a top-bottom character it splits into 口 (“mouth”, the radical), strokes 1–3; 八 (“eight”), strokes 4–5, written the top first.
- Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
- Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
- Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdown and left
- Right-falling stroke ㇏centerdown and right
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 5 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Traditional form
- Simplified
- 只 · 5 strokes
- Traditional
- 隻 · 10 strokes · see its strokes
- Also traditional
- 只 itself, in 33 of its 61 CC-CEDICT words
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| zhǐ third tone | only; merely; just | — | 只是 只有 只能 只要 |
| zhī first tone | classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc | 隻 | 船只 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 2
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 3 word
- Words with it
- 36 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 只
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 只 隻 | zhī | classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some… HSK 1 |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only HSK 3 |
| 只有 | zhǐyǒu | only have ...; there is only ... HSK 3 |
| 只能 | zhǐnéng | can only; obliged to do sth HSK 3 |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided HSK 3 |
| 只好 | zhǐhǎo | to have no other option but to ...; to have to HSK 4 |
| 只得 | zhǐdé | to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to HSK 6 |
| 只顾 只顧 | zhǐgù | to focus solely on; to pay attention only to HSK 6 |
| 船只 船隻 | chuánzhī | ship; boat HSK 6 |
| 只管 | zhǐguǎn | solely engrossed in one thing; just… HSK 7-9 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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Keep going
Contain it:
HSK 1, in list order: