才
cái · HSK 2
only
sounds like 'tie' — only then do you tie the knot
才 (cái) marks 'only then' or 'just now'. The sound 'cái' rhymes loosely with English 'tie' — a verbal hook for the idea that something happens only then, after a delay or condition is met.
才 — single component 才 (one stroke 一 + 亅 + 丿)
才 originally pictured a sprout breaking through the ground, symbolizing budding talent or potential. Over time it came to mean 'talent, ability' and also 'just now,' since a sprout marks a fresh beginning. It is itself a basic component used in characters like 材 and 财.