只 (zhǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “only”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 八 (eight), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes. It has a second reading, zhī, which turns up in 一只 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “only”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 八
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：口 3 笔 + 八 2 笔）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) with two short strokes (八) falling away underneath: the mouth has said its one and only word, and nothing more comes out.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 只是zhǐ shìonly; merely; just只 = zhǐ
- 只有zhǐ yǒuonly; there is only; only if只 = zhǐspoken aszhí yǒu
Go deeper
All readings
only
only; merely; just; nothing but
副词，表示限于某个范围；仅仅。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 只是zhǐ shìonly; merely; just只 = zhǐ
- 只有zhǐ yǒuonly; there is only; only if只 = zhǐspoken aszhí yǒu
classifier for animals and one of a pair
classifier for animals, birds, and one of a paired object (one hand, one shoe)
量词，用于动物、鸟类，或成对物品中的一个。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 一只yì zhīone (of an animal, a bird, or one of a pair)只 = zhī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 只 mean?
只 (zhǐ) means only; merely; just; nothing but.
How do you pronounce 只?
Its main reading is zhǐ. It also has a second reading, zhī, which only shows up in certain words such as 一只 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 只 sometimes pronounced zhī?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 一只 it is read zhī.
What parts is 只 made of?
口 (mouth) and 八 (eight), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：口 3 笔 + 八 2 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 只 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 只?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 只?
Common ones are 只是 and 只有. The reading of 只 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.