才

才 (Kangxi radical 64, 手+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 木竹 (DH), four-corner 4020₀, composition ⿹𬺰丿(GHTV) or ⿻𬺰丿(JK))

• 材 犲 䊷 (䌶) 豺 財 (财) 釮 䴭 (𬹅) 𰀑 䞗 閉 (闭) 团 鼒
• 𠄒 𠆫 𠠸 𠮹 𢩱 𤿋 𥘔 𬁱 𦨑 𩵝 𭨟 𪟞 𧆯 𨙴 𬏛 𦬁 𮮥 𪪋 𧎆 𧛌

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 416, character 30
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 11769
• Dae Jaweon: page 763, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1824, character 2
• Unihan data for U+624D

Historical forms of the character 才
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Pictogram (象形) – sprouting of seeds.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsa ~ za (“child, offspring, relatives; to come forth (as child at birth); to love; loving”) (STEDT; Schuessler, 2007). "Birth" and "natural characteristic / endowments" are semantically connected, compare 生 (OC *sʰleːŋ, *sreŋs, “live, give birth”) and its derivative 性 (OC *sleŋs, “nature; character; personality; quality”) & 姓 (OC *sleŋs, “family name”).

Derivatives: 材 (OC *zlɯː, “material; timber”), 財 (OC *zlɯː, “riches; property; money”).

才

1. ability; gift; talent; capability

   alt. forms: 材 (cái)

2. talented person; talent
3. one with a certain status or background
4. Alternative form of 材 (cái, “material”)
5. (Southern Min) Alternative form of 材 (“classifier for volume (of wood) and area (of paper, glass, stone, curtain, etc.)”)
6. a surname

才

1. only; just; merely

   教室裡才五個人。 [MSC, trad.]
   教室里才五个人。 [MSC, simp.]

   Jiàoshì lǐ cái wǔ ge rén. [Pinyin]

   There are only five people in the classroom.

   1. Used in the 才……就…… structure; only; just

      才五點鐘他就起床了。 [MSC, trad.]
      才五点钟他就起床了。 [MSC, simp.]

      Cái wǔ diǎnzhōng tā jiù qǐchuáng le. [Pinyin]

      It's only five o'clock, yet he has already got up.

2. only a short while ago; just

   我才來，錯過什麼了嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
   我才来，错过什么了吗？ [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ cái lái, cuòguò shénme le ma? [Pinyin]

   I just arrived. What did I miss?

   Synonym: 剛／刚

3. only after; only then; not ... until

   她鎖上所有的窗戶才去睡覺。 [MSC, trad.]
   她锁上所有的窗户才去睡觉。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā suǒ shàng suǒyǒu de chuānghù cái qù shuìjiào. [Pinyin]

   She went to sleep only after locking all the windows.

   你怎麼現在才到。我等了一個多小時了。 [MSC, trad.]
   你怎么现在才到。我等了一个多小时了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ zěnme xiànzài cái dào. Wǒ děng le yī ge duō xiǎoshí le. [Pinyin]

   Why didn't you come until now? I've been waiting for more than an hour.

4. Used to emphasize that something is/is not.

   我才是張三。／我才是张三。  ―  Wǒ cái shì Zhāng Sān.  ―  I'm Zhang San (not that someone else is Zhang San).

   我才沒有騙人。／我才没有骗人。  ―  Wǒ cái méiyǒu piànrén.  ―  I'm not lying.

Possibly from 正 (“just”) (Taiwan MoE).

才 (Min)

1. only; merely
2. just; just now; a moment ago

   才看𡅏電影。 [Eastern Min, trad.]
   才看𡅏电影。 [Eastern Min, simp.]

   Ciáh káng lā̤ diêng-īng. / [t͡siɑʔ²⁴ kʰɑŋ²¹³ l̃ɛ³³ tieŋ²⁴²⁻⁵³ ^(Ø-)ŋiŋ³³] [Bàng-uâ-cê / IPA]

   [I] just watched a movie.

3. only then; only after
4. Used to emphasize that something is/is not.

• (just now):

• (only then):

• “Entry #215”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. age
2. years old

• Go-on: ざい (zai)
• Kan-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
• Kun: わずかに (wazukani); ざえ (zae, 才); かど (kado, 才)

• 才(さい)覚(かく) (saikaku)
• 才(さい)気(き) (saiki)
• 才(さい)能(のう) (sainō)
• 漫(まん)才(ざい) (manzai): a style of double act stand-up comedy
• 天才(てんさい) (tensai): genius

才(さい) • (sai) 

1. ability, talent, aptitude
2. alternative form of the volumetric unit 抄(しょう) (shō)

才 (eumhun 재주 재 (jaeju jae))

1. Hanja form^? of 재 (“talent”).

才: Hán Nôm readings: tài

1. ability; talent