才 (cái) — Only in Mandarin
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#135 most common word · HSK 3 · CEFR B1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
才 is pronounced cái. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Wǒ cái kàndào nǐ de xiāoxi.
I just saw your message.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 才 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 才 mean?+
才 (cái) means "Only" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 才?+
才 is pronounced cái. It uses the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 才 in Mandarin?+
才 is the #135 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 才 fits
Every HSK 3 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.