刚 vs 刚才(gāng vs gāngcái)
Just vs Just Now
Structure Pattern
Explanation
Both 刚 and 刚才 mean something happened a very short time ago, but grammatically they are different parts of speech.
1. 刚才 (gāngcái) - Noun (Time Word)
刚才 is a time noun meaning "just now" or "a moment ago." Because it's a time word, it can be placed before or after the subject (like 昨天 or 现在).
- e.g., (刚才) 我 (刚才) 去了洗手间。
2. 刚 (gāng) - Adverb
刚 (or 刚刚) is an adverb meaning "just." As an adverb, it MUST be placed after the subject and before the verb.
- e.g., 我刚吃完饭。(Not: 刚我吃完饭)。
- Note: 刚 can refer to a subjective feeling of "short time" (e.g., "I just moved here 2 months ago"), while 刚才 literally means the last few minutes.
Example Sentences
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Gāngcái shéi lái le?
Who came just now?
Wǒ gāng dào jiā.
I just arrived home.
Tā gāngcái bú zài, gāng huílái.
He wasn't here a moment ago, he just came back.
Common Mistakes
Common Mistake
刚我看到了你的朋友。
Correct Usage
刚才我看到了你的朋友。 / 我刚看到了你的朋友。
刚 is an adverb and cannot start a sentence before the subject. 刚才 is a time noun and can.
Common Mistake
我刚才结婚三个月。
Correct Usage
我刚结婚三个月。
刚才 strictly means "a few minutes ago." For a period of time that feels short (like 3 months), you must use 刚.
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