Word

Kana: ほんとう Romaji: hontou Level: N5

本当

Meaning in English

truth, real, true

Stroke order

Animated kanji stroke order

本

Illustrated Dictionary

Translations in other languages:

Portuguese verdade, real, verdadeiro

Spanish verdad, real, verdadero

Korean 정말, 진짜

French vérité, vrai

Italian verità, vero

German Wahrheit, wirklich

Indonesian benar, sungguh

★ Vietnamese sự thật, thật

Thai ความจริง, จริง

Sentence

Related sentences

N3 彼の努力には本当に感心するものがある Kare no doryoku ni wa hontou ni kanshin suru mono ga aru His effort is truly impressive N1 努力してこそ本当の成果が得られる Doryoku shite koso hontou no seika ga erareru Only effort brings real results N3 その話は本当らしいけどまだ確認していない Sono hanashi wa hontou rashii kedo mada kakunin shite inai That story seems true but I have not confirmed yet

Dictionary

Word context

What it means

What does 本当 (hontou) mean? It means "truth" or "real": the state or quality of being factual or genuine rather than false or pretend, used to assert that something corresponds to reality.

Main meanings

As an adverbial nuance often realized as hontō ni, used to intensify verbs and adjectives — equivalent to "really/truly" in English.
As an attributive qualifier commonly heard as hontō no before nouns to mark authenticity or genuineness.
As a short spoken interjection (hontō?) expressing surprise, disbelief, or asking for confirmation.
Used for emotional emphasis in informal speech (shock, sympathy, frustration) without carrying technical or legal weight.

How to use it

Widespread across spoken and written Japanese, appearing in casual conversation, media, and formal statements; speakers use it to check facts, emphasize sincerity, or stress intensity, and it commonly appears in everyday questions, supportive comments, emphatic replies, and in written claims or reports to assert that a claim corresponds to reality.

Variants and close terms

真実 (shinjitsu) — "truth" (formal, often used in legal/academic contexts)
本物 (honmono) — "genuine, authentic" (focus on authenticity of objects or people)
実際 (jissai) — "actually, in reality" (used to contrast expectation vs fact)
嘘 (uso) — "lie, falsehood" (antonym)

Composition

本 (hon): root, origin, book; conveys the idea of "base" or "true source".
当 (tō or ataru): to hit, appropriate, applicable; conveys correctness or being fitting.

Word class

noun, na-adjective (名詞、形容動詞)