Word
実
Meaning in Englishfruit, seed, content, reality
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
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)
Word
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Kanji