真
really; truly; real
HSK level
- Pinyin
- zhēn
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 10
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 2
Stroke order for 真
真 is written with 10 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 真 mean?
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.
Hear 真 in real episodes
真 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
可是，网上卖的吃的东西，都是真的吗？
But is the food sold online always real?
Fake Honey, Fake Camel Milk, Diet Sweets and 'Ghost Takeout': China's Top Court Publishes Typical Online Food-Safety Crimes
这个公司，不是真的。
This company isn't real.
The Economist's Joke Memo: A Company Tries to Fix Its Staff's Sleep, and Everything Goes Wrong
Example sentences
今天真冷。
Jīntiān zhēn lěng.
It's really cold today.
spoken
你真聪明！
Nǐ zhēn cōngming!
You're really smart!
spoken
这个故事是真的。
Zhège gùshi shì zhēn de.
This story is true.
neutral
真的吗？我不知道。
Zhēn de ma? Wǒ bù zhīdào.
Really? I had no idea.
spoken
他真喜欢吃中国菜。
Tā zhēn xǐhuan chī Zhōngguó cài.
He really likes eating Chinese food.
neutral
Common phrases with 真
Synonyms
很 is the neutral intensifier ('very'); it doesn't carry emotion. 真 is emotional emphasis ('really, genuinely'). 这个菜很好吃 = 'this dish is good'; 这个菜真好吃 = 'wow, this dish is really delicious.'
确实 means 'indeed / it is indeed the case' — confirming a fact. 真 is more emotional and casual. Use 确实 when agreeing seriously; use 真 when expressing surprise or feeling.
Don't confuse 真 with
真的 is the full adverbial form ('really, truly') and works on its own as an answer ('it's true'). 真 alone usually needs an adjective after it. 他真的来了 'he really came' vs 他真高 'he's really tall.'
正 means 'upright / right / just now' (as in 正在 'currently'). Visually different but semantically can confuse beginners — 正 is about position/timing, 真 is about truth/genuineness.
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
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