Usage patterns 実じつ 物ぶつ を 見み る to see the actual object in person
It's better to see the actual object than to look at a photo of it.
実じつ 物ぶつ より 〈 形けい 容よう 詞し 〉 more/less [adjective] than the real thing
This model is smaller than the actual object.
実じつ 物ぶつ を 確かく 認にん する to check/verify the actual item
I want to check the actual item before ordering.
実じつ 物ぶつ と 違ちが う to differ from the real thing
The product photo sometimes differs from the actual item.
Related words 本物 emphasizes that something is genuine and not a fake, while 実物 emphasizes that something is the physical object itself rather than a picture, model, or description.
現物 is typically used in financial or commercial contexts for physical goods or spot commodities, whereas 実物 is a more general term for the real, tangible object.
原物 specifically contrasts the original item with a copy or reproduction, while 実物 more broadly contrasts a real object with any non-physical representation like a photo or model.
実物 means any real, physical item in general, while 実機 specifically denotes a real machine or aircraft as opposed to a model or simulation.
Don't confuse with 実物 is the real, physical thing itself, while 写真 is merely a photograph or picture of it, and learners sometimes blur the contrast between the two.
実物 is the actual physical object itself, while 実像 is the true image or true picture (often abstract), so despite sharing the kanji 実 they refer to different things.
Etymology Compound of 実 (truth, reality) and 物 (thing). The meaning is transparently 'real thing'.
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