真

真 (zhēn) is both an adverb meaning 'really / truly' and an adjective meaning 'real / genuine.' As an adverb, it sits before an adjective or verb to add genuine emphasis: 真好 ('really good'), 真累 ('really tired'), 真喜欢 ('really like'). Two notes for English speakers: first, 真 carries more emotional weight than 很 ('very') — 很好 is a flat 'good,' while 真好 expresses surprise or sincere appreciation, like 'wow, that's great.' Second, as an adjective ('real, genuine'), it usually appears with 的: 真的故事 ('a true story'), 这是真的 ('this is real'). The opposite is 假 (jiǎ, 'fake'). When you hear 真的吗？ ('really?'), it's the everyday way to express mild surprise or to double-check what someone just said.

Note: Used freely in speech and writing. As an emphatic adverb ('really good,' 'really tired'), it carries genuine emotion — slightly stronger than English 'really.'

Memory hook: Picture 真 as an honest face — it's the character for what's real, no filter.