才

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See also: 扌, オ, 孑, and 𬺱

才 U+624D, 才
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-624D
← 扌
[U+624C] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 扎 →
[U+624E]

Translingual

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Stroke order

Han character

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Traditional 才
Simplified 才
Japanese 才
Korean 才
See images of
Radical 64 才

才 (Kangxi radical 64, 手+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 木竹 (DH), four-corner 40200, composition ⿹𬺰丿(GHTV) or ⿻𬺰丿(JK))

Derived characters

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References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 416, character 30
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 11769
  • Dae Jaweon: page 763, character 1
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1824, character 2
  • Unihan data for U+624D

Chinese

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Glyph origin

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Historical forms of the character 才
Shang Western Zhou Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (才) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
茬 *zraː, *zraːʔ, *ʔsrɯ, *zrɯ
材 *zlɯː
才 *zlɯː, *zlɯːs
財 *zlɯː
鼒 *zlɯː, *ʔslɯ
在 *zlɯːʔ, *zlɯːs
豺 *zrɯː

Pictogram (象形) — a sharp peg. Same as 弋. See also the top component of 𢦏.

Xu Shen erroneously analyzed this character as a sprout growing from the ground.

Etymology 1

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From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsa ~ za (“child, offspring, relatives; to come forth (as child at birth); to love; loving”) (STEDT; Schuessler, 2007). "Birth" and "natural characteristic / endowments" are semantically connected, compare 生 (OC *sʰleːŋ, *sreŋs, “live, give birth”) and its derivative 性 (OC *sleŋs, “nature; character; personality; quality”) & 姓 (OC *sleŋs, “family name”). Cognate with 子 ("son").

Derivatives: 材 (OC *zlɯː, “material; timber”), 財 (OC *zlɯː, “riches; property; money”), and 存 ("to exist").

Pronunciation

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Note:
  • cài - vernacular;
  • chài - literary (奴才);
  • còi - vernacular (秀才).
Note:
  • châi - vernacular;
  • chhâi - literary (classifier).
Note: zai5 - used in 秀才.
Rime
Character 才
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 從 (15)
Final (韻) 咍 (41)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) I
Fanqie 昨哉切
Baxter dzoj
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/d͡zʌi/
Pan
Wuyun 		/d͡zəi/
Shao
Rongfen 		/d͡zɒi/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/d͡zəj/
Li
Rong 		/d͡zᴀi/
Wang
Li 		/d͡zɒi/
Bernard
Karlgren 		/d͡zʱɑ̆i/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		cái
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		coi4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 才
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		cái
Middle
Chinese 		‹ dzoj ›
Old
Chinese 		/*[dz]ˁə/
English talent, ability

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 才
Reading # 1/2
No. 1061
Phonetic
component 		才
Rime
group 		之
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		裁
Old
Chinese 		/*zlɯː/

Definitions

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才

  1. ability; gift; talent; capability
    alt. forms: 材 (cái)
  2. talented person; talent
  3. one with a certain status or background
  4. Alternative form of 材 (cái, “material”)
  5. (Southern Min) Alternative form of 材 (“classifier for volume (of wood) and area (of paper, glass, stone, curtain, etc.)”)
  6. a surname

Compounds

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Etymology 2

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trad. 才/纔*
simp. 才
alternative forms 裁

Pronunciation

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Note:
  • chăi - vernacular;
  • chài - literary.
Rime
Character 才 才
Reading # 1/2 2/2
Initial (聲) 從 (15) 從 (15)
Final (韻) 咍 (41) 咍 (41)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division (等) I I
Fanqie 昨哉切 昨代切
Baxter dzoj dzojH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/d͡zʌi/ /d͡zʌiH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/d͡zəi/ /d͡zəiH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/d͡zɒi/ /d͡zɒiH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/d͡zəj/ /d͡zəjH/
Li
Rong 		/d͡zᴀi/ /d͡zᴀiH/
Wang
Li 		/d͡zɒi/ /d͡zɒiH/
Bernard
Karlgren 		/d͡zʱɑ̆i/ /d͡zʱɑ̆iH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		cái zài
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		coi4 zoi6
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 才 才
Reading # 1/2 2/2
No. 1061 1220
Phonetic
component 		才 才
Rime
group 		之 之
Rime
subdivision 		0 0
Corresponding
MC rime 		裁 載
Old
Chinese 		/*zlɯː/ /*zlɯːs/

Definitions

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才

  1. only; just; merely
    教室裡才五個人。 [MSC, trad.]
    教室里才五个人。 [MSC, simp.]
    Jiàoshì lǐ cái wǔ ge rén. [Pinyin]
    There are only five people in the classroom.
    1. Used in the 才……就…… structure; only; just
      才五點鐘他就起床了。 [MSC, trad.]
      才五点钟他就起床了。 [MSC, simp.]
      Cái wǔ diǎnzhōng tā jiù qǐchuáng le. [Pinyin]
      It's only five o'clock, yet he has already got up.
  2. only a short while ago; just
    我才來，錯過什麼了嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
    我才来，错过什么了吗？ [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ cái lái, cuòguò shénme le ma? [Pinyin]
    I just arrived. What did I miss?
    Synonym: 剛／刚
  3. only after; only then; not ... until
    她鎖上所有的窗戶才去睡覺。 [MSC, trad.]
    她锁上所有的窗户才去睡觉。 [MSC, simp.]
    Tā suǒ shàng suǒyǒu de chuānghù cái qù shuìjiào. [Pinyin]
    She went to sleep only after locking all the windows.
    你怎麼現在才到。我等了一個多小時了。 [MSC, trad.]
    你怎么现在才到。我等了一个多小时了。 [MSC, simp.]
    Nǐ zěnme xiànzài cái dào. Wǒ děng le yī ge duō xiǎoshí le. [Pinyin]
    Why didn't you come until now? I've been waiting for more than an hour.
  4. Used to emphasize that something is/is not.
    我才是張三。／我才是张三。  ―  Wǒ cái shì Zhāng Sān.  ―  I'm Zhang San (not that someone else is Zhang San).
    我才沒有騙人。／我才没有骗人。  ―  Wǒ cái méiyǒu piànrén.  ―  I'm not lying.

Synonyms

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Dialectal synonyms of 才 (“only after; only then; not ... until”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 才2, 再, 方, 始, 方才
Northeastern Mandarin Taiwan 才2
Singapore 才2
Cantonese Guangzhou 先, 至, 先至
Hong Kong 先, 至, 先至
Hakka Meixian 正
Southern Min Xiamen 才3
Quanzhou 才3
Zhangzhou 才3
Singapore (Hokkien) 才3
Manila (Hokkien) 才3
Shantou 正
Singapore (Teochew) 正
Wu Shanghai 再, 才2
Suzhou 再
Xiang Changsha 才至

Compounds

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Etymology 3

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simp. and trad.
 才
alternative forms 乍 Eastern Min
則／则
即
者
隻／只

Possibly from 正 (“just”) (Taiwan MoE).

Pronunciation

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Definitions

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才 (Min)

  1. only; merely
  2. just; just now; a moment ago
    才看𡅏電影。 [Eastern Min, trad.]
    才看𡅏电影。 [Eastern Min, simp.]
    Ciáh káng lā̤ diêng-īng. / [t͡siɑʔ²⁴ kʰɑŋ²¹³ l̃ɛ³³ tieŋ²⁴²⁻⁵³ (Ø-)ŋiŋ³³] [Bàng-uâ-cê / IPA]
    [I] just watched a movie.
  3. only then; only after
  4. Used to emphasize that something is/is not.

Synonyms

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  • (just now):
edit
  • (only then):
Dialectal synonyms of 才 (“only after; only then; not ... until”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 才2, 再, 方, 始, 方才
Northeastern Mandarin Taiwan 才2
Singapore 才2
Cantonese Guangzhou 先, 至, 先至
Hong Kong 先, 至, 先至
Hakka Meixian 正
Southern Min Xiamen 才3
Quanzhou 才3
Zhangzhou 才3
Singapore (Hokkien) 才3
Manila (Hokkien) 才3
Shantou 正
Singapore (Teochew) 正
Wu Shanghai 再, 才2
Suzhou 再
Xiang Changsha 才至

Compounds

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Further reading

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Etymology 4

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For pronunciation and definitions of 才 – see 儕 (“(Wu) all; completely; each and every one out of a determinate quantity; always; under all circumstances”).
(This character is a variant form of 儕).

Etymology 5

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For pronunciation and definitions of 才 – see 哉 (“begin, commence; etc.”).
(This character is a variant form of 哉).

Etymology 6

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For pronunciation and definitions of 才 – see 在 (“to exist; to be alive; to be at; to be in; to be located; etc.”).
(This character is an ancient form of 在).

References

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Japanese

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Kanji

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才

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

  1. age
  2. years old

Readings

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  • Go-on: ざい (zai)
  • Kan-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
  • Kun: わずかに (wazukani)、ざえ (zae, 才)、かど (kado, 才)

Compounds

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Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
才
さい
Grade: 2
kan'on

Noun

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才(さい) • (sai) 

  1. ability, talent, aptitude
  2. alternative form of the volumetric unit 抄(しょう) (shō)

Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term
才
さい
Grade: 2
kan'on
For pronunciation and definitions of 才 – see the following entry.
【歳さい】S
[suffix] [from early 800s] -year-old
Alternative spelling
サイ
(This term, 才, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

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Hanja

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才 (eumhun 재주 재 (jaeju jae))

  1. hanja form? of 재 (“talent”)

Vietnamese

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Han character

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才: Hán Nôm readings: tài

  1. ability; talent
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