真

Tap the pinyin to hear it

really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A straight 直 (that is, level) table 几

Components 直几

true · Heisig RSH #75

十 ten + tool

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
真的	zhēn de	really; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine; (math.) proper
认真	rèn zhēn	conscientious; earnest; serious; to take seriously; to take to heart
真后生动物	zhēn hòu shēng dòng wù	eumetazoa; subkingdom of animals excluding sponges
真相大白	zhēn xiàng dà bái	the whole truth is revealed (idiom); everything becomes clear
真龙天子	Zhēn lóng Tiān zǐ	(idiom) (honorific) True Dragon, Son of Heaven; the rightful emperor
道真县	Dào zhēn Xiàn	see 道真仡佬族苗族自治縣\|道真仡佬族苗族自治县[Dao4 zhen1 Ge1 lao3 zu2 Miao2 zu2 Zi4 zhi4 xian4]
真分数	zhēn fēn shù	proper fraction (with numerator < denominator, e.g. five sevenths); see also: improper fra…
动真格	dòng zhēn gé	to get serious about sth; to pull no punches; to be determined to see sth through
真心实意	zhēn xīn shí yì	(idiom) genuine; sincere; wholehearted
真人	zhēn rén	a real person; Daoist spiritual master
传真电报	chuán zhēn diàn bào	phototelegram
真心	zhēn xīn	wholeheartedness; sincerity
天真	tiān zhēn	naive; innocent; artless
传真机	chuán zhēn jī	fax machine
真性	zhēn xìng	real; the nature of sth
真理报	Zhēn lǐ Bào	Pravda (newspaper)
真空管	zhēn kōng guǎn	vacuum tube; thermionic valve
真人真事	zhēn rén zhēn shì	genuine people and true events
真实性	zhēn shí xìng	authenticity; truthfulness; veracity; reality; validity
高保真	gāo bǎo zhēn	high fidelity; hi-fi

These characters use 真 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
真 sound part	zhēn	real, actual, true, genuine
镇	zhèn	calm, composed; to control, to suppress
颠	diān	peak, summit, top; to upset
填	tián	to fill, to pad, to stuff
慎	shèn	cautious, prudent
嗔	chēn	to be angry at, to rebuke, to scold
滇	diān	Yunnan province
缜	zhěn	fine, detailed; closely woven
禛	zhēn	to receive blessings
瑱	tiàn	a jade earring
瞋	chēn	to glare
鬒	zhěn	glossy black hair
稹	zhěn	to accumulate