真

真 U+771F, 真 ← 眞[U+771E] CJK Unified Ideographs 眠 →[U+7720] 真 U+2F946, 真 ← 眞[U+2F945] CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement 真 →[U+2F947] 真 U+2F947, 真 ← 真[U+2F946] CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement 睊 →[U+2F948] Stroke order Traditional 真 Simplified 真 Japanese 真 Korean 眞

In simplified and traditional Chinese, the 目 component is connected to the horizontal line below it (as seen in the Kangxi dictionary) whereas, in Japanese and Korean, 目 is separate from that line.

真 (Kangxi radical 109, 目+5, 10 strokes, Cangjie input 十月一金 (JBMC), four-corner 40801, composition ⿱十具)

The Kangxi dictionary considers 真 as an unorthodox form (俗字) of 眞. However, the traditional Kangxi form 眞 with 匕 on top is rarely used nowadays. In modern times, 真 is considered the orthodox form in all regions except South Korea.

• 傎, 㐤, 嗔, 填, 嫃, 嵮, 㣀, 慎, 搷, 滇, 𤠶, 槙, 𤛇, 瑱, 禛, 䐜, 瞋, 磌, 稹, 𧜖, 縝(缜), 謓, 蹎, 䡩(𫟥), 鎮(镇), 𢅬, 𩝻, 黰, 齻(𱌺)
• 㒹, 顛(颠), 鷏(𱊚), 寘, 蒖, 窴, 䈯, 鬒, 厧, 瘨, 㥲, 𮧼, 闐(阗), 衠

• 眞 (Original form of 真)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 805, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 23236
• Dae Jaweon: page 1221, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 249, character 7
• Unihan data for U+771F

• Unihan data for U+2F946

• Unihan data for U+2F947

trad. 真/眞 simp. 真 2nd round simp. 𰅴 alternative forms

Bronze inscriptions: Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, *tiŋ): semantic 貝 (“cowrie; shell”) + phonetic 𠂈 (*tˤiŋ). 𠂈 is the original pictograph of 顛 (OC *tˤiŋ) (“to fall headlong”).[1][2] From the late Western Zhou period, forms with 鼎 (dǐng) instead of 貝 are also attested.

Oracle-bone forms are composed of 匕 (bǐ) (“spoon”) and 鼎 (dǐng). These have been read by some scholars as 真 (zhēn)[3], but some of them are better interpreted as 肆 (sì)[4] or 煮 (zhǔ)[5].

In Chu bamboo-slip script, forms with 鼎 (dǐng) became dominant. The legs of 鼎 (dǐng) gradually became graphically confused with 火 (huǒ), and the lower horizontal stroke, left-falling stroke, and dot in Qin-slip and later forms of 真 (zhēn) may be reduced from 火 (huǒ). In the Zeng Hou Yi bamboo slips, an elaborated form with an added 丌 (jī) at the bottom is also attested.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan; cognate with Tibetan བདེན (bden, “true; truth”). Possibly connected with 貞 (OC *teŋ) (Schuessler, 2007).

真

1. true; genuine; real; actual 那不是真鑽石項鏈，是假的！ [MSC, trad.]那不是真钻石项链，是假的！ [MSC, simp.]Nà bù shì zhēn zuànshí xiàngliàn, shì jiǎ de! [Pinyin]That’s not a real diamond necklace, it’s just a fake! 那些是真鑽石還是贗品？ [MSC, trad.]那些是真钻石还是赝品？ [MSC, simp.]Nàxiē shì zhēn zuànshí háishì yànpǐn? [Pinyin]Are those real diamonds or only shams?
   • 我的情也真　我的愛也真 [MSC, trad.]我的情也真　我的爱也真 [MSC, simp.]From: 1977, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), 鄧麗君 (Teresa Teng)wǒ dì qíng yě zhēn, wǒ dì ài yě zhēn [Pinyin]My love is also true, my heart is also true
2. clear; distinct; sharp
3. really; truly; very; quite 今天真熱。／今天真热。 ― Jīntiān zhēn rè. ― It’s so hot today. 那些演員真了不起。 [MSC, trad.]那些演员真了不起。 [MSC, simp.]nà xiē yǎnyuán zhēn liǎobuqǐ [Pinyin]Those actors are really great. 真的嗎？／真的吗？ ― Zhēn de ma? ― Really?
4. portrait; image
5. natural disposition
6. (Chinese calligraphy) short for 真書／真书 (zhēnshū, “regular script”)
7. (～日) (telegraphy) the eleventh day of a month
8. a surname 真德秀 ― Zhēn Déxiù ― Zhen Dexiu (a Song dynasty scholar)

Others:

• → Lao: ຈິງ (ching)
• → Proto-Turkic: *čïn (see there for further descendants)
• → Thai: จริง (jing)

• “真”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2026.
• “真”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014-

Shinjitai 真 Kyūjitai 眞

(Third grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 眞)

1. truth
2. reality
3. sincerity
4. naturalness
5. regular script

• Go-on: しん (shin, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: しん (shin, Jōyō)
• Kun: ま (ma, 真, Jōyō)、まこと (makoto, 真)
• Nanori: さな (sana)、さね (sane)、ただ (tada)、ただし (tadashi)、なお (nao)、のり (nori)、まあ (mā)、まこ (mako)、まさ (masa)、まど (mado)、まな (mana)、まゆ (mayu)、み (mi)、みち (michi)、も (mo)

• 真(さな)田(だ) (Sanada)
• 真面目(まじめ) (majime)

Kanji in this term 真 しんGrade: 3 on’yomi Alternative spelling 眞 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 真 (MC tsyin).

• IPA(key): [ɕĩɴ]
• (Tokyo) しん [shíꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])[1][2][3]

真(しん) • (shin)

1. truth, reality

• 真(しん)に (shin ni)
• 真(しん)の (shin no)
• 真(しん)善(ぜん)美(び) (shinzenbi)

• 真(しん)に迫(せま)る (shin ni semaru)

真(しん) • (shin)

1. truth, reality, genuineness
2. natural, pristine
3. complete, wholly
4. regular script (楷書, kaisho)
5. (logic) a true statement Antonym: 偽 (gi)

真(しん) • (Shin)

1. a surname
2. a male or female given name

Kanji in this term 真 まGrade: 3 kun’yomi Alternative spelling 眞 (kyūjitai) For pronunciation and definitions of 真 – see the following entry. 【ま】 [noun] [from 712] the truth, reality, genuineness [prefix] [from 720] real, genuine [prefix] [from 759] pure, unadulterated [prefix] [from 1595] definitely, certainly, exactly, precisely, directly [prefix] [date unknown] true, real, main (appended to words for animals or plants to indicate the representative type) [prefix] [from 759] (archaic, possibly obsolete, honorific) great, excellent (This term, 真, is an alternative spelling of the above term.) Kanji in this term 真 まことGrade: 3 kun’yomi Alternative spelling 眞 (kyūjitai) For pronunciation and definitions of 真 – see the following entry. 【まこと】 [noun] truth; reality; fact; genuineness [noun] sincerity; honesty; faithfulness [adverb] (dated) truly, really, absolutely, indeed [interjection] used for recalling information previously forgotten or sudden change of subjects: that’s right [proper noun] 実, 真, 真琴: a unisex given name (This term, 真, is an alternative spelling of the above term.) Kanji in this term 真 あつしGrade: 3 nanori Alternative spelling 眞 (kyūjitai)

From classical adjective 厚し (atsushi), modern 厚い (atsui, “thick, heavy; kind, warm”).

• IPA(key): [a̠t͡sɨɕi]
• (Tokyo) あつし [áꜜtsùshì] (Atamadaka – [1])

真(あつし) • (Atsushi)

1. a male given name

Kanji in this term 真 ただしGrade: 3 nanori Alternative spelling 眞 (kyūjitai)

From classical adjective 正し (tadashi), modern 正しい (tadashii, “correct, right, true”).

• IPA(key): [ta̠da̠ɕi]
• (Tokyo) ただし [táꜜdàshì] (Atamadaka – [1])

真(ただし) or 真(たゞし) • (Tadashi)

1. a male given name

Kanji in this term 真 まさしGrade: 3 nanori Alternative spelling 眞 (kyūjitai)

From classical adjective 正し (masashi, “accurate, authentic, correct”).

• IPA(key): [ma̠sa̠ɕi]
• (Tokyo) まさし [máꜜsàshì] (Atamadaka – [1])

真(まさし) • (Masashi)

1. a male given name

Kanji in this term 真 まおGrade: 3 nanori Alternative spelling 眞 (kyūjitai) For pronunciation and definitions of 真 – see the following entry. 【まお】 [proper noun] a female given name (This term, 真, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

• “△真”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015-2026

真 (eumhun 참 진 (cham jin))

1. alternative form of 眞

• Zonmal.com Hanja Dictionary (존말닷컴 한자사전／漢字辭典) (2002-2005). [3]

真: Hán Việt readings: chân[1][2][3][4][5][6], sân[3] 真: Nôm readings: chân[1][2][3], chan[3][5], chang[3][5], nhởn[1], chăm[2], chăn[4], chần[4], chờn[4]

1. chữ Hán form of chân (“truth”)
2. chữ Nôm form of chân (“foot; leg”)