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本音 (ほんね) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Meanings 1
noun
real intention ; true feelings ; what one really thinks
Often contrasted with 建前 (public stance). Refers to one's honest, unguarded thoughts or motives, especially when they differ from what is said outwardly.
See also: 建前
議ぎ
で
は
建たて
前まえ
ばかり
で
、
本ほん
音ね
は
なかなか
出で
なかっ
た
。
At the meeting it was all public stances; real opinions hardly came out.
Written forms 本ほん 音ね Usage 92%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word in news and everyday contexts.
ホンネ Usage 8%
Etymology Compound of 本 (true, real) and 音 (sound, tone), literally 'true sound'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the Edo period to mean one's real thoughts.
