然 rán — correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly
我们先吃饭，然后去看电影。Wǒ men xiān chī fàn, rán hòu qù kàn diàn yǐng.We will eat first, then go to see a movie.
Common words: 然后 (rán hòu)、虽然 (suī rán)、忽然 (hū rán)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "correct"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "correct", including 然 (rán), 正 (zhēng / zhèng), 纠 (jiū). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "correct" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 然 (rán), 正 (zhēng / zhèng), 纠 (jiū) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span rán, zhēng, zhèng, jiū — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 然 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 然 ráncorrect; right; so; thus; like this; -lyUseful words: 然后, 虽然
- 正 zhēng / zhèngChinese 1st month of year; just (right); main; upright; straight; correctUseful words: 正在, 真正
- 纠 jiūgather together; to investigate; to entangle; correctUseful words: 纠正, 纠纷
Common words for these 3 "correct" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 然 (rán) — so "correct" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
然后rán hòuthen; after that; afterwards虽然suī ránalthough; even though忽然hū ránsuddenly; all of a sudden正在zhèng zàito be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing真正zhēn zhènggenuine; real; true; really正常zhèng chángnormal; regular纠正jiū zhèngto correct; to make right纠纷jiū fēndispute纠缠jiū chánto be in a tangle; to nag
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "correct".
正 zhēng / zhèng — Chinese 1st month of year; just (right); main; upright; straight; correct
他正在打电话。Tā zhèng zài dǎ diàn huà.He is making a phone call.
Common words: 正在 (zhèng zài)、真正 (zhēn zhèng)、正常 (zhèng cháng)
纠 jiū — gather together; to investigate; to entangle; correct
老师帮我纠正了发音上的错误。Lǎo shī bāng wǒ jiū zhèng le fā yīn shàng de cuò wù.The teacher helped me correct my pronunciation mistakes.
Common words: 纠正 (jiū zhèng)、纠纷 (jiū fēn)、纠缠 (jiū chán)
All 3 characters
Open 然、正、纠 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.