Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 の 本ほん 性しょう を 現あらわ す for someone's true nature to come out
When he got drunk, his true nature came out.
本ほん 性しょう を 隠かく す to hide one's true nature
She hides her true nature and acts kindly.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 本ほん 性しょう がばれる for someone's true nature to be exposed
His true nature was exposed, and everyone was shocked.
Related words· 6 本質 refers to the essential, often abstract nature of a thing or concept, while 本性 specifically describes a person's innate, sometimes hidden, true character.
正体 emphasizes revealing someone's true identity or form, often after a disguise, whereas 本性 focuses on a person's underlying moral or psychological nature.
素顔 literally means a bare, made-up-free face and by extension one's unguarded true self, a softer image than the sometimes negative 本性 .
本性 is the standard word for someone's true nature, while 生地 in this sense is more literary and less commonly used today.
Show 2 more Show fewer 本性 is a person's true, often hidden nature revealed under pressure, while 真性 is a more formal/literary term for innate or essential quality.
本性 names a person's true nature more explicitly, often with a hidden or negative nuance, while 素 can describe a milder, more everyday kind of unguarded self.
Don't confuse with 根性 refers to one's grit or inner tenacity (a trait of willpower), while 本性 refers to one's true, often hidden, fundamental character—learners sometimes conflate the two because both use 性 for 'nature'.
Etymology Compound of 本 (ほん , 'true, real') and 性 (しょう /せい , 'nature, character'). The reading ほんしょう is the standard on'yomi combination.
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