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刚才
gāngcái
just now
刚才你在做什么？
What were you doing just now?
neutral
a short time ago; just now; a moment ago
刚才我看到他了。
I saw him just now.
刚才发生了什么事？
What happened just now?
Used to refer to a very recent past moment, typically within the last few minutes.
Pro Tip
Time Reference Tip
Use '刚才' for events that happened moments ago. For future events, use '等会儿' (wait a moment) or '稍后' (later). Avoid using '刚才' for distant past events.
Gold Rule
Recency Rule
'刚才' implies the action/event occurred very recently (seconds to minutes ago). If the time gap is longer, use '刚刚' (more colloquial) or '不久前' (not long ago).
Word Origin
Combines '刚' (just, exactly) and '才' (just, only), emphasizing recency. '刚' dates back to Old Chinese (商代, ~1600-1046 BCE) meaning 'firm' or 'just'. '才' as a time adverb emerged in Middle Chinese (~600-900 CE). The compound '刚才' became standard in Modern Chinese.
Usage Notes
1. '刚才' refers to the immediate past, often within the last few minutes. For longer past periods, use '之前' or '过去'. 2. It can function as a noun (e.g., '刚才的事' = 'the thing from just now') or an adverb (e.g., '刚才我出去了' = 'I went out just now'). 3. In questions, it often appears at the beginning (e.g., '刚才你在哪儿？').
Word Breakdown
刚
just; exactly
root才
just; only
root汉英词典