就

jiù
HSK 2
#27 most
frequent character
at once, right away, only
adverb
preposition
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

就 combines 京, a tall building, with 尤 meaning 'especially', giving the first sense 'a really high place'. From there it grew to 'achievement', 'to accomplish', and then 'exactly' and 'near in time'.

Drawn as: tall building

就 as a component in other characters

sound3 characters
鹫蹴僦

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Example Sentences

我就知道你会来。
wǒ jiù zhīdào nǐhuì lái 。
I just knew you would come.
他就要出发了。
tā jiùyào chūfā le 。
He is about to set off right away.
就这样做吧。
jiù zhèyàng zuò bā 。
Let's just do it this way.

Words with similar meanings

只是zhǐshì
just
This word emphasizes the idea of being only or merely, similar to '就' but is more commonly used in conversational contexts.
马上mǎshàng
immediately
This implies a sense of urgency similar to '就' but is often used to indicate speed in action rather than the concept of 'just' or 'right away'.

Words Starting With 就

就业jiù yè
looking for employment; getting a job; to start a career
就职jiù zhí
take office; assume a post
就近jiù jìn
nearby; in a close neighborhood

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