刚 (gāng) — just / just now / barely

刚 (gāng)

An adverb meaning something happened very recently (just now) or something barely meets a condition. Unlike 刚才 (gānɡcái, a time noun for the recent past), 刚 can modify ongoing and future-oriented statements.

Meanings

1. [adverb] Just, just now (action very recently completed or still fresh).
2. [adverb] Barely, just enough (meeting a threshold exactly).

Example Sentences

我刚到家，还没来得及休息。 Wǒ gāng dào jiā, hái méi láidejí xiūxi. I just got home and haven't had time to rest yet.

他刚学中文，进步很快。 Tā gāng xué zhōngwén, jìnbù hěn kuài. He just started learning Chinese and is progressing quickly.

水刚好够用。 Shuǐ gāng hǎo gòu yòng. The water is just barely enough.

她刚走，你来晚了一步。 Tā gāng zǒu, nǐ lái wǎn le yī bù. She just left; you came one step too late.

Collocations

Memory Hook

Think of something fresh out of the oven — barely cooled, still steaming — that is the "just now" freshness of 刚.