才 Stroke Order — How to Write 才
才 is written in 3 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 扌, 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.
才 Radical and Character Components
Partial breakdown of 才:扌
才 is an ideographic compound. A sprout growing in the ground, representing a budding talent.
Radical: 扌 + 0 more strokes
才 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- cái
Meanings of 才 in Chinese
1
cái才
Ability, talent, or capability.
他很有才华，设计出了很多优秀的作品。
He is very talented and has designed many excellent works.
Refers to a type of person based on their ability or characteristic, often used in compounds like '干才' (gàncái - capable person), '奇才' (qícái - prodigy), '奴才' (núcaí - servile person), '蠢才' (chǔncaí - idiot).
他是个难得的奇才，在音乐方面天赋异禀
He is a rare prodigy, exceptionally gifted in music.
Adverb. Indicates that an action or situation occurred later than expected, or just happened; only then, not until.
等他忙完，我们才一起吃饭
We will eat together only after he finishes being busy.
Common Words and Phrases with 才
1
talent; literary talent/aptitude
她拥有出众的才调，创作了许多优美的诗歌。
She possesses outstanding talent and artistic flair, creating many beautiful poems.
2
innate talent; natural ability
他从小就展现出非凡的才分，学习任何新事物都非常快。
He displayed extraordinary talent from a young age, learning any new thing very quickly.
3
4
Possessing exceptional literary talent.
他自幼酷爱诗词歌赋，如今已是才高八斗，笔下生花，深受读者喜爱
He has loved poetry and prose since childhood, and now he is exceptionally talented, his writing vivid and much loved by readers.
5
outstanding in both talent and moral integrity
他从小就展现出非凡的才华，长大后更是才高行洁，深受同事们的尊敬。
He displayed extraordinary talent from a young age, and as an adult, he was even more distinguished by his exceptional intelligence and integrity, earning deep respect from his colleagues.
6
talent, brilliance, especially in arts or literature
他从小就展现出非凡的音乐才华，每次演奏都令人陶醉。
He has shown extraordinary musical talent since childhood, captivating everyone with every performance.
7
talent; intellectual ability; force of personality
他的才力非常出众，在解决复杂问题时总是能提出独到的见解。
His intellectual prowess is outstanding; he always offers unique insights when solving complex problems.
8
ability and sagacity; talent and stratagem
这位年轻的经理，凭借其出众的才略，成功带领团队克服了重重挑战。
This young manager, with his outstanding intellectual and strategic prowess, successfully led the team to overcome numerous challenges.
9
talent and appearance
她以其出众的才貌赢得了大家的喜爱和尊重。
She won everyone's love and respect with her outstanding talent and beauty.
10
possessing both talent and beauty; talented and good-looking
她不仅才貌双全，而且心地善良，深受大家喜爱。
She is not only talented and beautiful, but also kind-hearted and deeply loved by everyone.
11
Ability and talent; natural aptitude or skill.
她凭借非凡的才能，在艺术领域取得了显著的成就。
With her extraordinary talent, she achieved remarkable success in the field of art.
12
brilliance of mind; rich talent
他的画作中充满了独特的才气，让人一眼就能感受到其非凡的创造力。
His paintings are full of unique artistic flair, allowing one to immediately feel his extraordinary creativity.
13
A brilliant writer or gifted scholar.
这位年轻的诗人是公认的才人，他的作品充满了深刻的洞察和优美的文字。
This young poet is a recognized man of talent; his works are full of profound insight and beautiful language.
14
ability and insight
他以其卓越的才识在学术界获得了广泛的认可。
He gained widespread recognition in the academic world for his outstanding talent and discernment.
15
to have little talent and less learning; to be of limited ability and shallow knowledge
我才疏学浅，深感无法独当一面，还需向前辈多多请教。
Being of shallow learning and limited ability, I deeply feel unable to manage things independently and still need to seek much guidance from more experienced colleagues.
More words with 才
- gāng刚cái才just now, a moment ago
- tiān天cái才genius, talent
- yīng英cái才person of outstanding ability
- biàn辩cái才eloquence; oratorical skill
- fāng方cái才just now; a moment ago; only then
- gāo高cái才great talent, high ability
- jiàng将cái才just now; a moment ago
- nú奴cái才lackey, minion
- shī诗cái才poetic talent
- tōng通cái才generalist, polymath
- wén文cái才literary talent, writing skill
- yù育cái才Cultivate talent, Nurture talent
- duō多cái才Multi-talented.
- kǒu口cái才eloquence, oratory
- qū屈cái才underemployed, to be overqualified
- rén人cái才talent, talented person
- shí识cái才Identify talent, Recognize talent
- xiù秀cai才Scholar, Licentiate
- bié别cái才special talent
- bù不cái才unworthy, lacking talent
Idioms with 才
- cái才bó薄zhì智qiǎn浅of meager intellect and little learning
- cái才dé德jiān兼bèi备possess both talent and moral integrity
- cái才duǎn短qì气cū粗incompetent and ill-tempered
- cái才huá华gài盖shì世unparalleled talent
- cái才huá华héng横yì溢overflowing with talent
- cái才qì气guò过rén人extraordinary talent and spirit
- cái才qì气wú无shuāng双unparalleled in talent and spirit
- cái才shí识guò过rén人exceptional talent and insight
- cái才shū疏yì意guǎng广limited talent, grand ambitions
- cái才shū疏zhì志dà大ambitious but incompetent
- cái才zǐ子jiā佳rén人gifted scholars and beautiful ladies
- ài爱cái才rú如mìng命cherish talent as life
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Open the tool →Questions about 才
What does 才 mean in Chinese?
才 (cái) means “Ability, talent, or capability” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 才?
才 is pronounced cái in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 才 have?
才 has 3 strokes.
How do you write 才?
才 is written in 3 strokes, starting from the radical 扌. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 才?
The radical of 才 is 扌, and 才 is an ideographic compound.