Illustration: At a home dinner in Japan, a host turns toward the kitchen after serving an enormous helping of bitter melon. The guest's politely raised cheeks relax into an unmistakable grimace the moment the host looks away.

JLPT N2nounLevel estimated by Bebop

本ほん音ね

honne

true feelings, honest opinion

Example sentences

  1. 彼かれの本音ほんねが分わからない。

    I don’t know what his real intentions are.

    Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · Source

  2. 社長しゃちょうは言いうことと本音ほんねが違ちがう。

    My boss says one thing and means another.

    Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · Source

  3. 人ひとは本音ほんねを隠かくすものだ。

    People hide their true feelings.

    Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · Source

Kanji in 本音

  • 本book; presentOnホンKunもと
  • 音sound; noiseOnオン・イン・-ノンKunおと・ね

A word like this on every new tab

The Bebop Chrome extension shows one illustrated Japanese word each time you open a new tab in Chrome, with its reading, meaning, kanji and three example sentences. Choose any mix of levels from N5 to beyond N1. It’s free, with no account.

The Bebop new tab showing 音楽, music, over an illustration of a family playing music at home, with three example sentences
Add to Chrome Free on the Chrome Web Store
For Chrome on a computer. See it on the Chrome Web Store