Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 は 本ほん 当とう ですか is 〈thing/event〉 true?
本ほん 当とう のことを 言い う to tell the truth
He always tells the truth.
本ほん 当とう かどうか whether (something) is true or not
Let's check whether it's true or not.
本ほん 当とう の 〈 人ひと 〉 a true, genuine 〈person〉
本ほん 当とう の 意い 味み で in the true/proper sense
This is a leader in the true sense of the word.
〈 事こと 〉 を 本ほん 当とう にする to make 〈something〉 come true
He made his dream come true.
Expressions 本ほん 当とう にまあ how admirably; how wonderfully; how skillfully Related words· 11 真実 is a formal, weighty word for 'truth' often used in serious or dramatic contexts, while 本当 is the everyday word for whether something is true.
事実 refers to an objective, verifiable fact, whereas 本当 covers truth or factuality more broadly and also works as a na-adjective meaning genuine or real.
本物 names a genuine article or real person/thing itself, while 本当の〜 is a broader modifier that can mean true, correct, or genuine.
本当 is the everyday word for 'true/real' and can stand alone as a noun or adjective, while 真の is a more formal, literary prenominal modifier used for emphasis.
Show 7 more Show fewer 本当 is the everyday word for truth or reality, while 誠 is more formal, literary, or emphatic in the same sense.
本当 is the everyday word for 'truth' or 'reality', while 真 as a noun is rare and appears mainly in fixed expressions.
本当 is the standard Japanese word for 'true/real', while ほんま is its Kansai dialect equivalent used in casual regional speech.
本当 is the common, everyday word for truth or reality, while 真理 is a formal, abstract term used in philosophical or scientific contexts.
本当 is the noun/adjective meaning 'truth' or 'real', while 本当に is its adverbial form used to emphasize a statement.
本当 simply means 'true' or 'real' as a fact-check word, while 実際 emphasizes the actual state of affairs, often contrasted with assumption or theory.
本当 is the common conversational word for 'true' or 'really', whereas 真 feels formal or literary and rarely stands alone in casual speech.
Written forms 本当 Usage 71% i Usage for this spelling across all readings, not one reading alone.
ほんとう
Standard, very common spelling and reading; this form is high priority.
ほんと
Common shortened colloquial reading of the same written form, especially in speech and casual contexts.
ほんと Usage 12%
Practical casual kana spelling for the shortened pronunciation; more informal than 本当 .
ほんとう Usage 10%
ホント Usage 7%
search-only kana form
Katakana casual/search variant marked search-only; normal dictionary spelling is 本当 .
ホントウ Usage <1%
search-only kana form
Katakana search variant; standard writing is 本当 .
本ほん 當とう Usage <1%
search-only kanji form
Old/traditional kanji form marked search-only; use 本当 in modern writing.
ホントー Usage <1% i Usage for this spelling across all readings, not one reading alone.
Etymology Written with 本 , associated with what is original or real, and 当 , associated with fitting or corresponding. This is a useful spelling-based explanation; the exact historical development is not asserted here.
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