假 (jiǎ) is a Chinese character meaning “false”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 叚 (jia — the right-hand part of 假 that hints at its sound), side by side, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, jià, which turns up in 放假 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “false; fake”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 叚
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 叚 jia — the right-hand part of 假 that hints at its sound · jiǎ sound
Structure from: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰亻叚，2+9=11 画）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源
Memory aid
A person (亻) stands beside 叚 — picture 叚 as a rack of masks. The person puts one on, and the face you see is no longer real: fake.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 假如jiǎ rúif; supposing假 = jiǎ
- 假若jiǎ ruòif; supposing that; in case假 = jiǎ
- 掺假chān jiǎto adulterate; to mix in fake or inferior material假 = jiǎ
Go deeper
All readings
false; fake
false; fake; artificial; if, supposing
不真实的、伪造的；也表示假设，如「假如」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 假如jiǎ rúif; supposing假 = jiǎ
- 假若jiǎ ruòif; supposing that; in case假 = jiǎ
- 掺假chān jiǎto adulterate; to mix in fake or inferior material假 = jiǎ
holiday; vacation
holiday; vacation; leave of absence
按规定不工作或不上课的时间。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 放假fàng jiàto have a holiday or vacation假 = jià
- 假期jià qīvacation; holiday period假 = jià
Sound component
叚 family
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 假 mean?
假 (jiǎ) means false; fake; artificial; if, supposing.
How do you pronounce 假?
Its main reading is jiǎ. It also has a second reading, jià, which only shows up in certain words such as 放假 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 假 sometimes pronounced jià?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 放假 it is read jià.
What parts is 假 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 叚 (jia — the right-hand part of 假 that hints at its sound), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰亻叚，2+9=11 画）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 假 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 假?
亻. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 假?
Common ones are 假如, 假若, 掺假. The reading of 假 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.