Where 真 comes from
A straight 直 (that is, level) table 几
How to write 真 (zhēn, “really”)
真 (zhēn), an HSK 1 character, means “really”, “truly” and “indeed”. It is a character whose parts combine into its meaning. Dictionaries list it under the radical 目 (“eye”). On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 认真 (“conscientious”), 真正 (“genuine”) and 真实 (“true”). Japanese reads it ma-, “true”, as a JLPT N4 kanji.
- Pinyin
- zhēn
- Strokes
- 10
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 目 (“eye”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
As a top-bottom character it splits into 直 (“straight”), strokes 1–8; 几 (“how many”), strokes 9–10, written the top first.
- top leftrightwards
- topdownwards
- top leftdownwards
- toprightwards → downwards
- centerrightwards
- centerrightwards
- centerrightwards
- bottom leftrightwards
- bottomdown and left
- bottomdown and right
Japanese and Chinese
The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (10 strokes in Japanese, 10 strokes in Chinese).
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| zhēn first tone | really; truly; indeed; real; true | — | 认真 真正 真实 真诚 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 2 word
- Words with it
- 142 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 真
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 真 | zhēn | really; truly HSK 1 |
| 认真 認真 | rènzhēn | conscientious; earnest HSK 3 |
| 真正 | zhēnzhèng | genuine; real HSK 4 |
| 真实 真實 | zhēnshí | true; real HSK 5 |
| 真诚 真誠 | zhēnchéng | sincere; genuine HSK 5 |
| 天真 | tiānzhēn | naive; innocent HSK 6 |
| 真相 | zhēnxiàng | the truth about sth; the actual facts HSK 6 |
| 传真 傳真 | chuánzhēn | to fax; a fax HSK 6 |
| 果真 | guǒzhēn | really; as expected HSK 7-9 |
| 真是 | zhēnshi | indeed; truly HSK 7-9 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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Keep going
HSK 1, in list order: