才
cái
talent; ability
Every meaning
cái
- talent; ability
- (used for emphasis) really; indeed
- only then; not until
- just; only just
- only (a small amount)
In the Library
住在大海里，这才是真的快乐。
井底之蛙 · The frog in the well: the frog who had never seen the sea · HSK 4
醒了以后好几秒钟，梦里的场景还清清楚楚，你都分不清自己在哪儿，甚至分不清哪边才是真的。
庄周梦蝶 · Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream, and what it means · HSK 5
肉丸子谁都会做，萝卜就不一样了，得慢慢煮，煮到一咬，汤就从里面流出来，那才是好萝卜。
Words with 才
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).