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正体 (shoutai) Japanese meaning: true identity | Kotomora
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The man's true identity is still unknown.
He finally showed his true colors.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと ・ 物もの 〉 の 正しょう 体たい を 現あらわ す for someone or something to reveal their true identity/form
The suspicious man finally revealed his true identity in the end.
正しょう 体たい を 失うしな う to lose consciousness
He got so drunk that he lost consciousness.
正しょう 体たい を 隠かく す to conceal one's true identity
He had been living all along while hiding his true identity.
〈 物もの 〉 の 正しょう 体たい をつかむ to figure out what something really is
The scientists tried to figure out the true nature of the glowing phenomenon.
Kanji 正 correct, justice, righteous Related words· 7 正体 focuses on someone's or something's hidden true identity or form, while 本性 emphasizes an innate, often morally-loaded character trait.
意識 is the everyday word for consciousness, while 正体 in this sense appears only in set literary phrases like 正体を失う.
素性 refers to a person's background or lineage, whereas 正体 is broader, covering the true nature or identity of a person or thing, including disguises.
実体 is a more abstract, philosophical term for the true substance or reality of something, while 正体 is used for concretely uncovering who or what someone/something really is.
Show 3 more 正体 refers to the true identity or nature of someone or something, often something concealed, whereas 実像 is broader and describes the overall true state of a person or situation.
正体 means one's true, often concealed, identity or nature (e.g. a criminal's real self), while 身元 is the more official, documentable identity used for verification.
正体 usually means a hidden true identity that gets 'revealed' (正体を現す), while 本質 refers to an inherent nature that doesn't need to be disguised in the first place.
Etymology Compound of 正 (correct, true) and 体 (body, form). The meaning 'consciousness' likely developed from the idea of one's proper or normal state of being.
