真 — how to write the kanji for “true”
真 means “true”, “reality” and “Buddhist sect”; it is a JLPT N4 kanji, taught in third grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 279th most used kanji. KANJIDIC2 gives it 1 on reading and 3 kun readings, so the word decides how you say it. Its parts sit stacked: 十 (“ten”), strokes 1–2; 具 (“tool”), strokes 3–10, each finished before the next. On its own it is the word shin, “truth; reality”. Read shin, it forms 写真 (“photograph”), 真相 (“truth”) and 真の (“true”); the native reading ma gives 真ん中 (“middle”) and 真っ暗 (“pitch-dark”). Chinese reads it zhēn, “really”, at HSK 1.
- Strokes
- 10
- JLPT
- N4
- Radical
- 目 (“eye”)
- On
- シン
- Kun
- ま-, ま, まこと
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
- Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
- Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
- Left-falling stroke ㇒bottomdown and left
- Dot ㇔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
Readings
- On (Chinese-derived)
- シン shin
- Kun (native)
- ま- ma-, ま ma (rare), まこと makoto (rare)
- Meanings
- true; reality; Buddhist sect
- Read shin
- 写真 真相 真の 真実 真意 写真集
- Read ma
- 真ん中 真っ暗 真っ向
- School year
- third grade
- Newspaper rank
- 279th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
- Korean hanja
- 진 jin
- Common words
- 43 in JMdict
Words with 真
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 写真 | しゃしん shashin | photograph; photo |
| 真相 | しんそう shinsou | truth; real situation |
| 真の | しんの shinno | true; real |
| 真実 | しんじつ shinjitsu | truth; reality |
| 真ん中 | まんなか mannaka | middle; centre |
| 真意 | しんい shin'i | real intention; true motive |
| 写真集 | しゃしんしゅう shashinshuu | photo book; photobook |
| 真理 | しんり shinri | truth |
| 真っ暗 | まっくら makkura | pitch-dark; pitch-black |
| 真っ向 | まっこう makkou | directly opposite; right in front |
Most common first (JMdict).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Same parts:
JLPT N4, in list order: