Chinese word

刚刚

Pronunciation

Pinyingāng gāng

Meaning

  • adverbjust now

Example

我刚刚到。wǒ gāng gāng dào

I just arrived.

Illustration for 刚刚 (just now)

More examples

她刚刚吃完饭。tā gāng gāng chī wán fàn

She just finished eating.

Core concept

A tiny stretch of time connects the event to the present moment.

Common phrases

  • 刚刚来gāng gāng lái

    just came

  • 刚刚吃完饭gāng gāng chī wán fàn

    just finished eating

  • 刚刚看见gāng gāng kàn jiàn

    just saw

Similar words

刚才gāng cái: Marks a specific time a short while ago when something happened.
刚gāng: Marks an action or event that has just happened, focusing on the state immediately afterward.

Definition in Chinese

作为副词，表示某事刚发生、时间点非常接近说话时刻，强调动作或变化发生在极短时间以前。zuò wéi fù cí biǎo shì mǒu shì gāng fā shēng shí jiān diǎn fēi cháng jiē jìn shuō huà shí kè qiáng diào dòng zuò huò biàn huà fā shēng zài jí duǎn shí jiān yǐ qián

Word origin

刚刚 (gānggāng, "just now") is the repeated form of 刚 (gāng, "just"), with repetition highlighting an especially close time link.

Usage tips

  • English just can express several ideas, but this Chinese adverb marks time, not fairness, exactness, or permission.

Other meanings

  • recentlyadverb

Related words

Word lists with this word