真
真 — True
true, reality, Buddhist sect
On’yomiシン (shin)
Kun’yomiま (ma)
Kun’yomiま- (ma)
Kun’yomiまこと (makoto)
Stroke order (10 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 真
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 写真 | しゃしん shashin | photograph; photo; picture |
| 真相 | しんそう shinsou | truth; real situation |
| 真の | しんの shinno | true; real; genuine |
| 真実 | しんじつ shinjitsu | truth; reality; truly |
| 真ん中 | まんなか mannaka | middle; centre; center |
| 真意 | しんい shini | real intention; true motive; true meaning |
Study notes
真 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 10 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #279 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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