只 (zhǐ): How to Say “Only” in Chinese

Why this trips learners up

There are several ways to say “only” in Chinese, and the first to learn is 只 (zhǐ). The catch is where it goes. In English, “only” snuggles up to whatever it limits — “only water”, “only one brother”. 只 doesn't: it's an adverb, so it lives right before the verb. “I only drink water” is 我只喝水 (only-drink-water), never 我喝只水.

That one rule carries most cases. 只 sits before a plain verb (只喝, 只卖) and before an auxiliary too (只会说, 只能走). For the super-common “only have N”, that's 只有 — 只 in front of the verb 有: 我只有五块钱. Two things to file away: to limit the subject (“only I…”) you front it with 只有 (只有我去了), and the very same character 只 is also a measure word read zhī (一只猫) — more on that just below.

The structure

Subject 只 zhǐ Verb

Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Place Negation Function word Measure word Number Question

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

wǒ 我 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern yǒu 有 Verb wǔ 五 Number kuài 块 Measure word qián 钱 Object

I only have five kuai.

tā 他 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern hē 喝 Verb shuǐ 水 Object

He only drinks water.

wǒmen 我们 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern mài 卖 Verb kāfēi 咖啡 Object

We only sell coffee.

wǒ 我 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern xiǎng 想 Function word shuìjiào 睡觉 Verb

I only want to sleep.

wǒ 我 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern huì 会 Function word zuò 做 Verb yí gè 一个 Measure word cài 菜 Object

I can only cook one dish.

nǐ 你 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern xué 学 Verb le 了 Function word yì 一 Number nián 年 Measure word Zhōngwén 中文 Object ma 吗 Question

Have you only studied Chinese for a year?

zhège háizi 这个孩子 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern kū 哭 Verb bù 不 Negation shuōhuà 说话 Verb

This child only cries and won't talk.

wǒmen 我们 Subject zhǐ 只 Pattern néng 能 Function word dǎchē 打车 Verb huí 回 Verb jiā 家 Place

We can only take a taxi home.

Common mistakes

Avoid: 我喝只水。 wǒ hē zhǐ shuǐ.

Say this: 我只喝水。 wǒ zhǐ hē shuǐ.

Why it happens: 只 is an adverb — it goes before the verb, not next to the noun the way English “only” does. “I only drink water” is 我只喝水 (only + drink), never 我喝只水. Ask what's being limited, then put 只 in front of that verb.

Avoid: 他会只说英文。 tā huì zhǐ shuō Yīngwén.

Say this: 他只会说英文。 tā zhǐ huì shuō Yīngwén.

Why it happens: When there's an auxiliary like 会 or 能, 只 goes before IT, not between the auxiliary and the verb. “He can only speak English” is 他只会说英文 (only + can + speak), never 他会只说英文.

Avoid: 只我去了。 zhǐ wǒ qù le.

Say this: 只有我去了。 zhǐyǒu wǒ qù le.

Why it happens: A bare 只 can't limit the subject. To say “only I went” — limiting WHO — you front the subject with 只有: 只有我去了, not 只我去了. (只 on its own modifies the verb, not the person.)

Compare & contrast

只 (zhǐ) — “only”	只 (zhī) — measure word	The difference
我只喝茶。wǒ zhǐ hē chá.	一只猫yì zhī māo	我只喝茶 — here 只 is read zhǐ and means “only” (before the verb 喝). 一只猫 — the very same character is read zhī, the measure word for the cat.
他只有十块钱。tā zhǐ yǒu shí kuài qián.	三只鸟sān zhī niǎo	他只有十块钱 = “he only has ten kuai” (zhǐ, before 有). 三只鸟 = “three birds” (zhī, a measure word after the number).

Rule of thumbSame character, two readings. Before a verb, 只 is zhǐ = “only” (只喝茶). After a number, 只 is zhī = a measure word for animals and one-of-a-pair things (一只猫, 一只手, 两只鞋). Position tells you which one you're looking at.

Try it yourself

Say “I only have one question” — tap the words into order.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

只 (zhǐ): How to Say “Only” grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure

Subject + 只 + Verb

Example

我只有五块钱

I only have five kuai.

Watch out

✗ 我喝只水。 → ✓ 我只喝水。