Breath trailing downward from an open mouth, a sentence-final particle. Only, merely; a single one, one of a pair, or a measure word for animals. A mouth (口) with two little legs (八) beneath it, "just" talking and staying put.
For cats, dogs, and most animals, 只 is the normal counting word. 个 makes the animal sound like a generic object.
只 does not count people. For one person, use 个: 一个人.
When 只 means 'only', it must come before the action word, not after it.
只 counts cats, dogs, and most animals; 个 is for people or generic things.
一只猫 is the natural way to count a cat. If you say 一个猫, it sounds like you are calling the cat a random object. Use 只 for many animals, especially cats and dogs. Use 个 for people or when you don't know the special counting word.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Counting a cat | 一只猫 | 一个猫 |
| Counting a dog | 一只狗 | 一个狗 |
| Counting a person | 一个人 | 一只人 |
zhī counts animals; zhǐ means 'only' and goes before the action word.
The same character hides two different jobs. When it counts animals, like in 一只猫, say zhī. When it means 'only', like in 我只喝水, say zhǐ. If you swap the tones, the sentence sounds broken to native ears.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Counting a cat | 一只猫 (yì zhī māo) | 一只猫 (yì zhǐ māo) |
| Meaning 'only' | 我只喝水 (wǒ zhǐ hē shuǐ) | 我只喝水 (wǒ zhī hē shuǐ) |
只 sits right before the action word: 我只喝水. Putting it after the verb sounds broken.
只 is a spotlight. It shines on whatever comes right after it. 我只喝水 means the only thing I drink is water. If you park 只 at the end, 我喝水只, native speakers hear a sentence that never finished. Same rule for 只吃米饭, 只看书, 只买一件.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Only drink water | 我只喝水 | 我喝水只 |
| Only eat rice | 我只吃米饭 | 我吃米饭只 |
| Only buy one | 我只买一个 | 我买一个只 |
A young man helps an old man look for his cat. But the real surprise is why the old man wanted to find the cat. Read on to learn about kindness and friendship.
一天，白天明在学校大门口前边看见有人写了找猫的话：“我想找一 只 大白猫。
找了一个月，白天明也没有看见 那只 大白猫。
白天明看见老先生的家里，有 一只 很大很白的大猫。
This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.
买了五 只 小猫，七百零五块钱。
卖了六 只 小狗，四百零九元钱。
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