When thinking about the character jiù (就), a good way to remember what it is is to remember that is often means "precisely" or "exactly". I only tell you this, because the only way to remember 就 is that is precisely its own character. It can not be easily pinned down. Dictionary entries, textbooks, and yes, even good old Google Translate will barrage you with a variety of translations. As you may guess, this is one of those tricky words that can't be pinned down and has to be learned best in context. So what are some of it's uses.

Jiù is frequently used to help emphasize the verb that accompanies it
The translations of "precisely", "just", "exactly", "only" all can work in this context. But sometimes it doesn't actually take an English equivalent and can be left out as well.

Using jiù (就) for emphasis (esp. with 是 [shì])
我就是他 wǒ jiù shì tā
I am him (That person you're talking about is me)
我就是说 wǒ jiù shì shuō
What I am (really) saying here is...
那个地方就是这儿 nèigè dìfāng jiù shì zhèr
This is the place right here.

Aside from emphasizing something, 就 (就) can function as other adverbs, such as indicating that something happened earlier than expected or more quickly then expected. These can be paired with expressions like "出乎意料" and "没想到".

Stating Something Happened Quicker Than Expected
他十一点就来了 tā shíyī diǎn jiù lái le
He actually got here at 11.(I wasn't expecting him so early.)
我明天就回家了 wǒ míngtiān jiù huíjiā le
I'm (actually) going home tomorrow (earlier than you or I had expected)

It can also imply that something happens relatively quick without necessarily needing a time word in English.

To Demonstrate a Very Quick Action
那个笨蛋就忘了 nèigè bèndàn jiù wàng le
That idiot just forgot! (what I just told him, the key, etc.)
如果这样，那我现在就去 rúguǒ zhèiyàng nà wǒ xiànzài jiù qù
If it is (actually) like this, then I'll go right now!

But wait! There's more! 就 (jiù) can also serve a function similar to the word "then". As I said before, sometimes it doesn't need to be translated, but helps with the flow of the sentence in Chinese.

Using 就 (jiù) to mean "then" (expresses a relationship)
如果你给我五块你就可以了 rúguǒ nǐ gěi wǒ wǔ kuài nǐ jiù kěyǐ le
If you give me five bucks, then you can...
如果他不听我说，就没有下次 rúguǒ tā bù tīng wǒ shuō, jiù méiyǒu xià cì
If he doesn't listen to me, then there won't be a "next time"

And then, if that wasn't already enough, 就 (jiù) can also be used to show a reaction, along the lines of "the second/minute that you (do something), I'll (start doing something else)".

Using 就 (jiù) to mean "as soon as" (Typically only when used along with 一 (yí))
这样的东西你一看就明白怎么用了它 zhèiyàng de dōngxī nǐ yí kàn jiù míngbai zěnme yòng le tā
You'll know how to use this kind of thing the second you see it.
我一听那首歌儿就高兴了 wǒ yī tīng nèi shǒu gēr jiù gāoxìng le
The second I hear that song, I feel happier already

There are of course, even more uses of 就 (jiù), but for right now, we feel this is a good start.

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