確

Core sense of stability and unshakeability. Its range covers both objective reality (factual, tangible, verified, or authentic) and subjective certainty (confidence, fixed conviction, and the absence of doubt).

Used as an adjective (certain, true, fixed) or an adverb (surely, certainly). In later contexts, it may function as a verb meaning to confirm, verify, or make certain.

Contrast with 實: while both can be translated as "real" or "true," 實 emphasizes substance and actuality, whereas 確 emphasizes stability and the quality of being settled or indisputable. In early usage, there may be a blurred line between 確 (firmly established) and 著 (manifest or apparent).

Rooted in the imagery of stone (石).

In legal or administrative texts, be alert for technical applications where "certainty" refers specifically to verified documentation or formal authentication.