Word
Kana: み Romaji: mi Level: N3

Meaning in English

fruit, seed, content, reality

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What it means

What does 実 mean? It denotes the real or true state of something, the actual result, and in classical usage it can refer to the edible fruit produced by a plant.

Main meanings

  • fruit or fruiting body in historical or literary contexts
  • reality or the actual state of affairs
  • genuineness or authenticity
  • practical or substantive aspect in compounds such as 実用 and 実際

How to use it

Used as a noun in formal and literary contexts to denote actuality or the fruit sense in older texts; it appears in many compounds such as 実際, 実用, 実力; the kun reading appears in verbs and phrases like 実る.

Variants and close terms

  • 真実 (shinjitsu) true, truth
  • 本当の (hontō no) real
  • 実際 (jissai) reality
  • 実用 (jitsuyō) practical use

Composition

  • 実 is a single kanji; its meaning centers on realness and fruit in historical usage; the modern form is the simplified version of 實.

Etymology

From 實 (traditional form), reduced to 実 in modern Japanese; onyomi ジツ and kun readings み or みのる.

Origin

Adopted into Japanese with the Chinese writing system; attested in classical texts and shaped by subsequent standardization in Heian and Edo periods to its modern form.

Word class

noun (名詞)

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