Mandarin Banana

才

ability / talent / sb of a certain type / a capable individual / only / only then / just now | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 才

The King of Chu has been bitten by a X-ray tube and has gained the special ability of X-ray vision. In the palace, he holds a banana in each hand; through his x-ray vision ability, he is able to see that in one of them there's a crowbar hidden, in the other one a flute. - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 3 years ago | add a painting

cai2 =
c + ai2

a moment ago / just now / (preceded by a clause of condition or reason) not until / (followed by a numerical clause) only | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 才

才
=
一
+
亅
+
丿

一

yi1 =
y + Ø1

one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 一

Maud Younger (y) plays her flute (一) in front of the space station (Ø1). - Mnemonic by Matthias, about 5 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
about 5 years ago

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

才
=
一
+
亅
+
丿

亅

jue2 =
ju + e2

"vertical stroke with hook" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 6) / see also 豎鉤|竖钩[shu4 gou1] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 亅

Doesn't 亅 look like a crowbar? Zeus (ju-) shows off his mighty crowbars (亅) in the entrance of the Erechtheion (-e2). - Mnemonic by Matthias, almost 5 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

才
=
一
+
亅
+
丿

丿

pie3 =
pi + e3

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 4) / see 撇[pie3] | add a mnemonic for this meaning of 丿

Pocahontas (pi-) is watching a giant banana (丿) inside the Erectheion (-e3). - Mnemonic by Matthias, almost 5 years ago | add a painting

Image by Matthias,
over 4 years ago

Stroke order

才 order cf01ed2af6f31af6cb53860d1da45207627dfe8d1b88d1ad9894dd31452bb1e8

No user submitted stroke order information available yet.

Sign in to submit stroke order information.

才 appears as component in

材团财闭豺財閉鼒

才 is the simplified version of 纔 .

HSK level: 3

Pronunciation: Gorodish elements and their mnemonics (what's this?)

c	The King of Chu - Mnemonic by Matthias, almost 5 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 4 years ago Image by Matthias, about 4 years ago
ai2	"ai2" is just inside the entrance of the palace. Remember it by recalling that "Palais of Versailles" contains two times "ai". - Mnemonic by Matthias, over 4 years ago \| add a painting Image by Matthias, over 4 years ago

Words with 才

刚 gang1 才 cai2		just now / a moment ago (HSK level 3)
刚 gang1 才 cai2		(just) a moment ago (HSK level 3)
人 ren2 才 cai2		talent / talented person / looks / attractive looks (HSK level 5)
才 cai2 干 gan4		ability / competence (HSK level 6)
天 tian1 才 cai2		talent / gift / genius / talented / gifted (HSK level 6)
成 cheng2 才 cai2		to make sth of oneself / to become a person who is worthy of respect
鬼 gui3 才 cai2 信 xin4		who would believe it! / what rubbish!
方 fang1 才 cai2		just now / then
多 duo1 才 cai2 多 duo1 艺 yi4		multi-talented
才 cai2 智 zhi4		ability and wisdom
口 kou3 才 cai2		eloquence
才 cai2 学 xue2		talent and learning / scholarship
人 ren2 才 cai2 济 ji3 济 ji3		a galaxy of talent (idiom) / a great number of competent people
高 gao1 才 cai2 生 sheng1		student of great ability / talented student
才 cai2 艺 yi4 秀 xiu4		talent show
才 cai2 华 hua2		literary or artistic talent / CL:份[fen4]
辩 bian4 才 cai2		eloquence
屈 qu1 才 cai2		to waste talent
聪 cong1 明 ming5 才 cai2 智 zhi4		intelligence and wisdom
奇 qi2 才 cai2		genius
才 cai2 思 si1		imaginative power / creativeness
才 cai2 能 neng2		talent / ability / capacity
奴 nu2 才 cai5		slave / fig. flunkey
秀 xiu4 才 cai5		a person who has passed the county level imperial exam (historical) / scholar / skillful writer / fine talent
真 zhen1 才 cai2 实 shi2 学 xue2		solid learning / real ability and learning / genuine talent
才 cai2 气 qi4		talent (usually literary or artistic)
江 jiang1 郎 lang2 才 cai2 尽 jin4		Jiang Yan has exhausted his talent (idiom) / fig. to have used up one's creative powers / to have writer's block
全 quan2 才 cai2		all-rounder / versatile
才 cai2 华 hua2 横 heng2 溢 yi4		brimming over with talent (esp. literary) / brilliant
才 cai2 子 zi3		gifted scholar
才 cai2 女 nu:3		talented girl
庸 yong1 才 cai2		mediocrity
自 zi4 学 xue2 成 cheng2 才 cai2		a self-made genius
干 gan4 才 cai2		ability / capable
贤 xian2 才 cai2		a genius / a talented person
不 bu4 才 cai2		untalented / I / me (humble)
才 cai2 识 shi2		ability and insight
怀 huai2 才 cai2 不 bu4 遇 yu4		to cherish one's unrecognized talents (idiom); to have talent but no opportunity / not living up to one's abilities / under-achieving
恃 shi4 才 cai2 傲 ao4 物 wu4		to be inordinately proud of one's ability / to be conceited and contemptuous (idiom)
大 da4 才 cai2 小 xiao3 用 yong4		lit. making little use of great talent / to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut