The character 真 — “real”: how to write it and what it means
real, true
The Chinese character 真 is read zhēn and means “real, true”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 真
真 has 10 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 真, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 真
- 认真serious, diligentHSK 3
- 真正real, genuineHSK 4
- 真诚sincereHSK 5
- 真实real, trueHSK 5
- 天真naive, innocentHSK 6
- 传真faxHSK 6
- 真相the truth, real situationHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 真?
真 has 10 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 真 mean?
真 means “real, true”. It appears in 认真 (“serious”), 真正 (“real”), 真诚 (“sincere”), 真实 (“real”).
How do you pronounce 真?
真 is read zhēn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 真 have?
10 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 真 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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