假

Phono-semantic compound:

人 – semantic element, suggesting human-related actions (borrowing, pretending);

叚 – phonetic element, lending the sound “가” and the notion of substitution or pretense.

The structure conveys a state assumed by a person, hence meanings like false, pretended, or provisional.

Originally, 假 meant “to borrow” or “to temporarily assume.” Over time, it broadened to:

- false, fake (e.g. 假名 – assumed name);

- temporary (e.g. 假期 – vacation/temporary leave).

Semantic development:

- substitution — standing in place of the real

- falseness — not genuine or true

- provisionality — temporary, assumed for convenience

- administrative leave — time off (modern extension)

假 is common across daily language, administration, and abstract discourse.

Common compounds:

가짜 (假) — fake (colloquial Korean usage via Sino-Korean)

가정 (假定) — assumption; hypothesis

가설 (假說) — hypothesis

가명 (假名) — alias; pseudonym

가면 (假面) — mask; façade

휴가 (休假) — vacation; leave

청가 (請假) — ask for leave (Mandarin)

Contrastive pairs:

진가 (眞假) — true vs. false

영구 ↔ 가설/가설적 (永久 ↔ 假) — permanent vs. temporary

Unlike 偽 (counterfeit, morally deceptive), 假 often remains neutral, describing temporary or assumed states.

Related characters (truth & provisionality):

眞 — true

偽 — false; counterfeit

暫 — temporary

權 — expedient; provisional

名 — name (often contrasted with 假名)

Among these, 假 spans falsehood and temporary legitimacy.

Different from 僞 (위): 僞 implies “to deceive” or “to falsify,” whereas 假 simply means “false” or “temporary” without the sense of intentional deception.