JLPT N5 · な-adjective

本当 (hontou)

本当 (ほんとう, hontou) is a Japanese な-adjective meaning “truth; reality”. It appears in JLPT N5 vocabulary lists and is marked as a common word in JMdict.

Reading: ほんとう
Romaji: hontou
Word class: な-adjective
Level: JLPT N5 (unofficial)

Meaning

truth; reality; actuality; fact · noun, noun taking の, な-adjective
proper; right; correct; official · noun taking の, な-adjective
genuine; authentic; real; natural; veritable · noun taking の, な-adjective

Example sentences

その悪い知らせは残念ながら本当だ。

The bad news is unfortunately true.

Tatoeba #212401

Sentences from the Tatoeba project, linked to this word in JMdict.

Conjugation of 本当

な-adjective. Plain and polite forms below; try any other word in the Japanese verb conjugator.

Form	Japanese	Reading
Present (plain)	本当だ	ほんとうだ hontouda
Present (polite)	本当です	ほんとうです hontoudesu
Negative	本当じゃない	ほんとうじゃない hontoujanai
Past	本当だった	ほんとうだった hontoudatta
Negative past	本当じゃなかった	ほんとうじゃなかった hontoujanakatta
Te-form	本当で	ほんとうで hontoude
Before a noun	本当な	ほんとうな hontouna
Adverb (~ni)	本当に	ほんとうに hontouni

Kanji in 本当

本

book, present, mainホン・もと · 5 strokes

当

hit, right, appropriateトウ・あ.たる・あ.たり · 6 strokes

Related words

Other vocabulary sharing a kanji with 本当.

本ほんbook本棚ほんだなbookshelves資本しほんfunds基本きほんbasics日本にっぽんJapan日本にほんJapan本人ほんにんthe person in question本物ほんものgenuine article標本ひょうほんspecimen本部ほんぶheadquarters本来ほんらいoriginally見本みほんsample根本こんぽんroot脚本きゃくほんscript

Source: JMdict entry 1523060 (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0). Level: unofficial JLPT list – how levels are assigned.