刚 (gāng)vs刚才 (gāngcái)
Both relate to the recent past, but one is an adverb and the other is a time noun.
刚 (gāng)
An adverb meaning "just". It must be placed before a verb and cannot stand alone.
刚才 (gāngcái)
A time noun meaning "just now". It can be placed before or after the subject, and can stand alone.
| Feature | 刚 (gāng) | 刚才 (gāngcái) |
|---|---|---|
| Part of Speech | Adverb | Time Noun |
| Position in Sentence | Must be before a verb (我刚吃) | Before or after subject (我刚才 / 刚才我) |
| Can be used with time durations? | ✅ Yes (刚吃两分钟) | ❌ No |
translateCompare Examples
✅
我刚吃完饭。
Wǒ gāng chī wán fàn.
I just finished eating.
Adverb before the verb.
✅
刚才谁来了？
Gāngcái shéi lái le?
Who came just now?
Time noun acting as the topic.
✅
他刚才去哪儿了？
Tā gāngcái qù nǎr le?
Where did he go just now?
Time noun after the subject.