just in Chinese
zhǐ shì ·just; merely; only ·14 strokes HSK 3
just in Chinese is 只是, pronounced zhǐ shì.
How to write 只是
Animated stroke order. Tap a character to replay its stroke order.
Stroke order of 只
Stroke order of 是
HSK level
HSK 3只是 is listed in the official HSK vocabulary at HSK 3. An intermediate band: enough vocabulary for everyday conversation and travel.
只是 in a sentence
-
我 只 是 想 帮 你 。I just want to help you.
-
他 只 是 个 孩 子 。He is just a kid.
-
这 只 是 个 玩 笑 。It is just a joke.
只是 vs 只有 vs 只不过
Similar and easily confused words, and how they differ.
-
只是 = 'it's merely that...' — downplaying or a turning clause. 只有 = 'only have / only if', stressing exclusivity.
-
只不过 zhǐ bù guò merely; just
'Nothing more than' — a touch more emphatic than 只是: 只不过开个玩笑 'just joking'.