只 Stroke Order — How to Write 只
只 is written in 5 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 口, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
只 Radical and Character Components
只 is an ideographic compound. Simple words 八 coming from the mouth 口.
Radical: 口 + 2 more strokes
只 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- zhī
- zhǐ
Meanings of 只 in Chinese
1
zhī只
Classifier for animals (e.g., one animal) or for one of a pair (e.g., one shoe, one hand).
我家里有一只狗。
I have a dog at home.
single, solitary, or a very small amount (often used to emphasize scarcity or isolation)
他只身一人来到这个陌生城市。
He came to this unfamiliar city all by himself.
2
zhǐ只
Only; merely; solely; just (indicating a limited scope or situation).
我只是想帮你。
I just want to help you.
Used to indicate limitation to a certain scope, meaning 'only' or 'just'.
她只顾工作，忘了吃饭
She only focused on work and forgot to eat.
Common Words and Phrases with 只
1
just; merely; only
我喜欢那件裙子，只不过颜色不太适合我。
I like that dress; it's just that the color doesn't suit me very well.
2
Unique and exclusive; the only one of its kind.
老李对自己的木工手艺非常自豪，常说他的雕刻是只此一家别无分店，别人都模仿不来。
Old Li is very proud of his carpentry skills, often boasting that his carvings are 'one of a kind, with no other branches,' implying they are unique and inimitable.
3
4
to have no alternative but to; to be obliged to; to have to
天下起了大雨，我们只得取消了野餐。
It started raining heavily, so we had no choice but to cancel the picnic.
5
To only care about or focus on one particular thing, often neglecting others; to be absorbed in.
他只顾着看电视，完全忘了时间。
He was only focused on watching TV and completely forgot about the time.
6
7
to have no choice but to; to be forced to
电影票卖完了，我们只好去看另一部电影。
The movie tickets were sold out, so we had no choice but to go see another movie.
8
9
alone; by oneself
她只身闯荡，凭借自己的努力开创了一番事业。
She ventured out on her own and, through her diligent efforts, established a successful career.
10
Merely; simply; only; but; however.
这只是一个小的开始，未来还有很长的路要走。
This is just a small beginning; there's a long way to go in the future.
11
have to; can only; be obliged to
他没有带伞，只索冒雨回家。
He didn't bring an umbrella, so he had no choice but to go home in the rain.
12
need only to; all one has to do is
只消你点一下按钮，机器就会启动。
You only need to press a button, and the machine will start.
13
a word or two; a few isolated words and phrases
他只听到他们争吵的只言片语，不清楚发生了什么。
He only caught a few words of their argument, unsure of what had happened.
14
So long as; provided that. Used to introduce a necessary condition for a result to occur.
只要你努力学习，就一定能取得好成绩。
As long as you study hard, you will definitely achieve good results.
More words with 只
- jiàn舰zhī只naval vessel
- zhū猪zhī只pigs in general
- zhǐ只huì会only, can only
- zhǐ只wèi为Only for, Just to
- zhí只yǒu有Only, Just
- chuán船zhī只vessel, ship
- jǐ几zhī只a few, how many
- zhǐ只jiàn见only to see, all one could see was
- liǎng两zhī只two, a pair of
- zhǐ只chī吃only eat, just eat
- zhǐ只shèng剩xià下only left, just left
- zhí只xiǎng想just want to, only want to
- zhǐ只xū需only need, just need
- zhǐ只zuò做only do, just do
- zhǐ只liú留xià下only keep, leave only
- zhǐ只pà怕I'm afraid, I fear
- zhǐ只shèng剩only left, just left
- zhǐ只zhī知dào道only know, just know
- nà那zhī只that one
- yì一zhī只a, an
Idioms with 只
- zhǐ只zhēng争zhāo朝xī夕Seize every minute and second
- zhī只zì字bù不tí提not mention a single word
- gū孤shēn身zhī只yǐng影utterly alone, like an orphan
- luán鸾zhī只fèng凤dān单solitary after losing beloved spouse
- piàn片yán言zhī只yǔ语a few scattered words
- piàn片yán言zhī只zì字a few words or a mere fragment of text
- piàn片zhǐ纸zhī只zì字a few words or a brief note
- xíng形dān单yǐng影zhī只utterly alone, a lone figure
- zhī只qí骑bù不fǎn反completely wiped out with no survivors
- zhī只shēn身gū孤yǐng影alone and solitary
- zhǐ只shǒu手dān单quán拳a lone hand with meager power
- zhǐ只tán谈fēng风yuè月talk about trivial things
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Open the tool →Questions about 只
What does 只 mean in Chinese?
只 (zhī) means “Classifier for animals (e.g” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 只?
只 has 2 pronunciations: zhī, zhǐ.
How many strokes does 只 have?
只 has 5 strokes.
How do you write 只?
只 is written in 5 strokes, starting from the radical 口. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 只?
The radical of 只 is 口, and 只 is an ideographic compound.