Skip to content
HSK Training logo HSK Training
  1. Home
  2. Grammar Points
  3. Comparing 刚 ("gāng") and 刚才 ("gāngcái")

Comparing 刚 ("gāng") and 刚才 ("gāngcái")

刚 gāng

Grammar
HSK 3

Structure

刚 vs. 刚才

Translations

  • when to use 刚 and when 刚才

Definition

“刚”和“刚才”都表示不久前发生的时间，但“刚”是副词，强调动作或状态发生不久；而“刚才”是时间名词，指说话前不久的那段时间。

Both '刚' and '刚才' indicate a time shortly before the present, but '刚' is an adverb emphasizing that an action or state occurred not long ago, while '刚才' is a time noun referring to the period just before speaking.

Usage

“刚”直接放在动词前作状语，表示动作发生不久，不能单独使用；也可用在形容词前表示刚达到某种状态。“刚才”可作主语、宾语、定语，或放在句首作时间状语，表示过去的一小段时间。两者不能互换。

'刚' is placed directly before verbs as an adverb, indicating an action happened recently, and cannot be used alone; it can also be used before adjectives to indicate just reaching a state. '刚才' can be subject, object, attributive, or at the beginning of a sentence as a time adverb, referring to a short period in the past. They are not interchangeable.

Examples

  • 1 我刚到办公室。 (I just arrived at the office.)
  • 2 他刚吃了饭，很饱。 (He just ate, and is very full.)
  • 3 刚才你在哪里？ (Where were you just now?)
  • 4 刚才的事我都忘了。 (I have forgotten the matter just now.)
  • 5 我刚说完，他就进来了。 (I had just finished speaking when he came in.)
  • 6 刚才还在下雨，现在停了。 (It was raining just now, but now it has stopped.)
View all HSK 3 grammar points

Put it into practice

Exam-style HSK drills with instant scoring and explanations.

Find my HSK level

Free · about 3 minutes · no account needed