假
fake; false (jiǎ); holiday; leave (jià)
HSK level
- Pinyin
- jiǎ
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Level
- HSK 4
- Strokes
- 11
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 假
假 is written with 11 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 假 mean?
假 is a two-pronunciation character.
As jiǎ (third tone) it is an adjective meaning 'fake, false, or artificial' — 假的 'fake,' 假钱 'counterfeit money,' 假话 'a lie.' As jià (fourth tone) it is a noun meaning 'holiday, vacation, or leave from work' — 放假 'to have a holiday,' 请假 'to ask for leave,' 暑假 'summer vacation.' Two things to note.
First, the pronunciation is the only spoken cue distinguishing 'fake' (jiǎ) from 'vacation' (jià), so tones carry the whole meaning — a classic learner pitfall. Second, jiǎ 'fake' differs from English 'false' in that it stresses being a counterfeit or imitation of the real thing (假名牌 'fake brand goods'), while 'false' in the sense of 'incorrect' is usually 错 (cuò) instead. Register is neutral for both readings.
Memory hook: Same character, two tones: jiǎ = fake (not real), jià = a day off (vacation).
Hear 假 in real episodes
假 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode 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，这个蜂蜜是假的。
But this honey was fake.
Fake Honey, Fake Camel Milk, Diet Sweets and 'Ghost Takeout': China's Top Court Publishes Typical Online Food-Safety Crimes
Example sentences
这个包是假的。
Zhège bāo shì jiǎ de.
This bag is fake.
spoken
别说假话。
Bié shuō jiǎhuà.
Don't tell lies.
spoken
我们下周放假。
Wǒmen xià zhōu fàngjià.
We have a holiday next week.
neutral
我想请一天假。
Wǒ xiǎng qǐng yì tiān jià.
I'd like to take one day off.
neutral
Common phrases with 假
Synonyms
伪 means 'fake / forged,' more formal and written (伪造 'to forge'). 假 (jiǎ) is the everyday spoken word for 'fake.' Use 假 in conversation; 伪 appears in legal or written compounds.
Don't confuse 假 with
价 (jià) means 'price' (价格 'price'). 假 read as jià means 'vacation.' Same sound, different character and meaning — watch the writing.
暇 (xiá) means 'leisure / free time' (空暇). It looks similar to 假 but has the 日 radical and a different sound. Don't confuse the characters.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
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