只

2 readings · tap one to hear it

grain that has begun to ripen

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HSK 3.0: Level 2
Old HSK: Level 3
Strokes: 5
Radical: 口 +2
Structure: Top–bottom 上下
Traditional: 只
Common rank: #1,310
Unicode: U+53EA

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 只 is formed

Ideographic compound (会意字)

Simple words 八 coming from the mouth 口

Components 口八

How to remember it

only · Heisig RSH #51

口 mouth + animal legs

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 只

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
只可意会，不可言传	zhǐ kě yì huì , bù kě yán chuán	can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子\|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); mysterious…
天下无难事，只怕有心人	tiān xià wú nán shì , zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén	(lit.) there is nothing the determined person can't accomplish (idiom); (fig.) persistence…
世上无难事，只怕有心人	shì shàng wú nán shì , zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén	see 天下無難事，只怕有心人\|天下无难事，只怕有心人[tian1 xia4 wu2 nan2 shi4 , zhi3 pa4 you3 xin1 ren2]
只知其一，不知其二	zhǐ zhī qí yī , bù zhī qí èr	to know the first, but not know the second (idiom); only partial information
只见树木，不见森林	zhǐ jiàn shù mù , bù jiàn sēn lín	can't see the wood for the trees
只字不提	zhī zì bù tí	(idiom) to say not a single word about it
只言片语	zhī yán piàn yǔ	(idiom) just a word or two; a few isolated phrases
三只手	sān zhī shǒu	pickpocket
只不过	zhǐ bu guò	only; merely; nothing but; no more than; it's just that ...
形单影只	xíng dān yǐng zhī	(idiom) lonely soul; solitary
斗酒只鸡	dǒu jiǔ zhī jī	lit. a chicken and a bottle of wine (idiom); fig. ready to make an offering to the decease…
只鸡斗酒	zhī jī dǒu jiǔ	lit. a chicken and a bottle of wine (idiom); fig. ready to make an offering to the decease…
不怕不识货，只怕货比货	bù pà bù shí huò , zhǐ pà huò bǐ huò	lit. don't worry about not knowing goods, but about comparing them (proverb); fig. goods' …
只说不做	zhǐ shuō bù zuò	to be all talk and no action
只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯	zhǐ xǔ zhōu guān fàng huǒ , bù xǔ bǎi xìng diǎn dēng	only the official is allowed to light the fire; Gods may do what cattle may not; quod lice…
跳一只脚	tiào yī zhī jiǎo	to hop on one leg
别具只眼	bié jù zhī yǎn	see 獨具隻眼\|独具只眼[du2 ju4 zhi1 yan3]
不只	bù zhǐ	not only; not merely
大只	dà zhī	big
独具只眼	dú jù zhī yǎn	to see what others fail to see (idiom); to have exceptional insight

Sound family

These characters use 只 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
只 sound part	zhī	only, merely, just
识	shí	knowledge; to understand, to recognize, to know
积	jī	to store up, to amass, to accumulate
职	zhí	duty, profession; office, post
织	zhī	to knit, to weave; to organize, to unite
炽	chì	to burn, to blaze; splendid; intense
帜	zhì	flag, pennant, sign; to fasten
咫	zhǐ	unit of length used during the Zhou dynasty
枳	zhǐ	trifoliate orange; hedge thorn
轵	zhǐ	the end of an axle that extends beyond the hub