Meanings of 刚才
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Podcast: 刚才
Podcast: 刚才
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AI Study Notes for 刚才
刚刚 (gānggāng) - use 刚才 when referring to a moment that has just passed in conversation, while 刚刚 emphasizes the immediacy of the action.
Be careful not to confuse 刚才 with 刚 (gāng), which means 'just' on its own and does not imply time. Use 刚才 in both formal and informal contexts, but be mindful of the tone; it’s spoken with a neutral tone. Common collocations include '我刚才看到' (I just saw) and '刚才说过' (just mentioned).
As an HSK Level 3 word, 刚才 connects well with other time-related vocabulary like 现在 (xiànzài, now) and 以前 (yǐqián, before). Focus on using it in sentences to describe actions that have just occurred to reinforce its meaning.
Learners often incorrectly use 刚才 to describe events that occurred some time ago, such as saying '我刚才吃了午饭' (I just had lunch), which should be corrected to '我刚刚吃了午饭' if it was a while ago. Additionally, mixing it up with 现在 (now) is common, but they serve different temporal functions.
Pronunciation of 刚才
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Component Characters
How to say just now in Chinese
“just now” in Chinese is刚才
刚才 (gāngcái) refers to a very recent time, typically meaning 'just now' or 'a moment ago.' It is often used to indicate something that has happened shortly before the present moment, making it useful in conversations about recent events or actions.
When to use 刚才
Be careful not to confuse 刚才 with 刚 (gāng), which means 'just' on its own and does not imply time. Use 刚才 in both formal and informal contexts, but be mindful of the tone; it’s spoken with a neutral tone. Common collocations include '我刚才看到' (I just saw) and '刚才说过' (just mentioned).
刚才 or something close to it
刚刚 (gānggāng) - use 刚才 when referring to a moment that has just passed in conversation, while 刚刚 emphasizes the immediacy of the action.
What learners get wrong
Learners often incorrectly use 刚才 to describe events that occurred some time ago, such as saying '我刚才吃了午饭' (I just had lunch), which should be corrected to '我刚刚吃了午饭' if it was a while ago. Additionally, mixing it up with 现在 (now) is common, but they serve different temporal functions.
Write 刚才
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Practice writing 刚才 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Grammar Patterns of 刚才
刚才 carries 3 distinct meanings. Below you'll find the patterns that show how it combines with other words, plus example sentences pulled directly from native usage.
Fill the gap
Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.
啊？怎么了？你要告诉我我____做了什么吗？
Huh? What's going on? You want to tell me what I did?
Example Sentences for 刚才 (10)
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Frequently Asked Questions about 刚才
No, 刚才 specifically refers to something that happened very recently, typically within minutes.
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