How to Write 才 (cái) — Meaning “Talent, or 'only then', or 'just now'.”

Imagine the horizontal stroke as the ground, the vertical hook as a strong stem, and the left-falling stroke as a leaf breaking out. This visual of a sprouting plant helps you recall that 才 means 'talent' – something that emerges naturally.

Write the horizontal stroke first, then the vertical hook (a straight hook, not too curved), and finally the left-falling stroke from top to bottom. A common mistake is making the vertical hook too short or the left-falling stroke too horizontal – keep the hook slightly longer and the slant clear.

扌 is the hand radical with a small upward flick at the end, while 才 ends with a left-falling stroke. 扎 (zhā/zā) combines 扌 with a hook-like stroke, meaning 'to tie' or 'to pierce' – remember that 才 has no hand component and stands alone for talent or time.

才 can mean 'talent' (as in 天才 'genius'), or as an adverb meaning 'just now' (刚才) or 'only then' (只有努力才能成功 'only by working hard can you succeed'). In Chinese culture, 才 is highly valued, appearing in idioms like 才高八斗 'extremely talented'.

Common words containing 才 include: 刚才 (gāng cái) — just now / a moment ago; 天才 (tiān cái) — Genius / Talent; 才华 (cái huá) — talent.