What does 就 mean in Chinese?

就 (jiù) means "then, just" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 2.

How do you write 就?

就 is written with 12 strokes, starting from the 尢 (lame) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 就?

The radical of 就 is 尢 (lame, Kangxi radical #43). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 尢.

How many strokes does 就 have?

The Chinese character 就 has 12 strokes.

What HSK level is 就?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 就 is a character to recognise at HSK 2.

就 (jiù): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

就

jiù

then, just

HSK 2 character 12 strokes Radical: 尢 (lame)

Quick Answer

就 (jiù) means "then, just" with 12 strokes, radical 尢 (lame), HSK 2 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 就 →Animated stroke-order for 就 →

Pronunciation

jiù

Meaning

Primary: then

Other meanings:

just

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

就 is not attested in oracle-bone script and appears only later, in bronze and seal forms. It is a compound of 京 (a tall building or capital mound on a raised foundation) and 尤 (originally a hand, later reinterpreted). The early composition suggests 'to go up to the high place' or 'to approach the capital', giving a core sense of movement toward a destination.

Form evolution

Bronze inscriptions show 京 clearly on the left as a stylised tiered structure, with 尤 on the right. Seal script regularises both components into the balanced left-right arrangement familiar today. Clerical script squares off 京 and standardises 尤; no simplification was needed, so 就 is identical in traditional and simplified Chinese.

How the meaning evolved

The original verbal meaning 'to approach, to go toward, to take up a position' is preserved in 就职 (take up a post) and 就座 (take one's seat). From 'arrive at' came the sense of 'accomplish' (成就) and then the grammatical uses: the adverb 'then, right away' and the conjunction 'as soon as'. The modern high-frequency adverbial use 就 is a long grammaticalisation from the concrete 'arrive' sense.

Cultural note

就 is one of the most grammaticalised characters in Mandarin, with the adverb 就 (as in 我就来) now far outstripping any verbal use in daily speech. Learners should note the contrast with 才: 就 frames an event as early or easy, 才 frames it as late or effortful, and the same time can take either depending on speaker attitude.

Mnemonic

Especially in the capital — precisely then

Decomposition

就=京component+尤component

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	jiù
Meanings	then, just
Stroke count	12 strokes
Radical	尢 (#43: lame)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 2
Frequency	#584 most common

Example sentences

我马上就来。
Wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái.
I'm coming right away.
From 就 (HSK 2)
他的学术成就得到了广泛认可。
Tā de xuéshù chéngjiù dédào le guǎngfàn rènkě.
His academic achievements have been widely recognized.
From 成就 (HSK 5)
他经过多年努力，终于功成名就。
Tā jīngguò duōnián nǔlì, zhōngyú gōngchéngmíngjiù.
After many years of hard work, he finally achieved success and fame.
From 功成名就