adverb (time) HSK 3
just now · a moment ago
Meaning
刚才 refers to the very recent past, typically within the last few minutes. It emphasizes that something happened very recently, just before the present moment. Native speakers use it constantly in daily conversation to reference actions or events that just occurred.
Usage
刚才 always refers to past events and is commonly placed before the verb. It differs from 刚 (just) in that 刚才 is a standalone time expression while 刚 must directly modify a verb. Use it for events within roughly the past 5-10 minutes.
Examples
- 01你刚才去哪儿了??Where did you go just now?
- 02刚才有人找你。.Someone was looking for you just now.
Characters
Common collocations
- 刚才说just said
- 刚才看到just saw
- 刚才的事what just happened
Antonyms
Origin
刚 originally meant 'hard' or 'strong' but evolved to mean 'just' in time expressions. Combined with 才 (which indicates something happening later than expected or just recently), the compound emphasizes the immediacy of a recent past action.