本気 (ほんき) Japanese meaning

本気 (ほんき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

Kanji

本book, present, main
気spirit, mind, air

Related words· 8

真しん剣けんN3
真剣 stresses intense, focused concentration (like facing a serious challenge), while 本気 stresses genuine intent or sincerity often contrasted with joking.
がち
本気 is a neutral, widely used word for being serious or earnest, while がち is slang with the same idea but a rougher, more casual feel.
リアルN1
本気 means 'seriousness of intent', while リアル in its colloquial sense emphasizes that a statement or feeling is sincere and not exaggerated.
本ほん腰ごし
本気 is a general word for seriousness that can be used as an adjective (本気で), while 本腰 specifically evokes physically bracing oneself for effort and is mainly used with 入れる or になる.

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真面目まじめN4
本気 means genuine intent or effort behind a particular action, whereas 真面目 describes an ongoing personality trait of seriousness or honesty.
真ま心ごころN1
本気 describes seriousness or earnestness of intention or effort, but lacks the emotional warmth that 真心 carries.
まじ
本気 describes genuine seriousness or true intent and works in formal contexts, whereas まじ is purely colloquial slang.

Opposites

冗じょう談だんN3
冗談 means 'joke' and is used as the direct opposite of 本気 when asking whether something is meant seriously or not (本気？冗談？).

Don't confuse with

元げん気きN5
本気 (seriousness) and 元気 (health, energy) sound and look similar but have completely unrelated meanings.
本ほん物ものN4
本気 means being serious or in earnest about something, while 本物 means the genuine version of an object or thing—learners sometimes confuse the 本- prefix meaning.
本ほん音ねN2
本音 means one's true feelings or opinion, while 本気 means being serious or in earnest about doing something; learners sometimes confuse them because both start with 本.

Word family

本ほん気きで
seriously; in earnest; for real
本ほん気き度ど
degree of seriousness; level of commitment
本ほん気き汁じる
vaginal secretion; pussy juice

Built from

本ほん+気き

Written forms

本ほん気きUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and everyday use.
ホンキUsage<1%

Etymology

Compound of 本 (ほん, 'true, real') and 気 (き, 'spirit, mind'), literally 'true mind'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning has been stable as 'seriousness' or 'earnestness'.

本ほん気き

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions