真 (zhēn) means "really" with 10 strokes, radical 目 (eye), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: really
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
真 is not attested in oracle-bone script. Bronze and seal forms show a complex graph that scholars read as a person with a ladle or container, possibly depicting a ritual of filling a vessel, or as a variant involving 贞 (divination). The etymology is genuinely contested, and Shuowen Jiezi's reading of it as a Daoist immortal ascending is considered a late philosophical gloss rather than the original sense.
Form evolution
Bronze forms show a top element resembling 匕 or an inverted person, a middle 目-like component, and a base that may represent a stand. Seal script regularised this into a vertical stack that clerical script then squared into the ten-stroke form. 楷书 preserves this structure but the original components are no longer transparent, which is why learners find 真 hard to decompose.
How the meaning evolved
By the Warring States period 真 already meant 'genuine, true, real', likely through Daoist philosophical use where it described the unadulterated natural state. It extended to 'truly, really' as an adverb (真好), and to 'clear, distinct' (真切). The modern sense has been stable for over two thousand years.
Cultural note
真 is central to Daoist vocabulary, appearing in 真人 (a realised person or immortal) and 真理 (truth). The character is often contrasted with 假 (false) in the foundational pairing 真假, and the idiom 真金不怕火炼 (real gold fears no fire) uses it in the sense of authenticity tested by hardship.
Mnemonic
A complete tool measured truly — real, true
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | zhēn |
| Meanings | really |
| Stroke count | 10 strokes |
| Radical | 目 (#109: eye) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #236 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 真
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.