本気(ほんき)

ほんき
noun
seriousness, earnestness
slangcolloquial
1. seriousness, earnestness, being serious
A genuine, sincere, or serious attitude; not joking or playing around.
本気(ほんき)で言(い)っているの？
Are you serious?
本気(ほんき)で頑張(がんば)る。
To try hard seriously.
彼(かれ)は本気(ほんき)だった。
He was serious.

Compound: 本(ほん) (real, true) + 気(き) (spirit, feeling)

Common expressions

  • 本気(ほんき)で (seriously, in earnest)
  • 本気(ほんき)になる (to get serious)
  • 本気(ほんき)を出(だ)す (to get serious, show one's true ability)
  • 本気(ほんき)にする (to take seriously)

Similar words

Colloquial reading: マジ comes from 本気(まじ), an alternative reading used in casual speech.

Related Words

Synonym: 真剣(しんけん) (formal)
Antonym: 冗談(じょうだん) (joke)
Compare: マジ (seriously)
Related: ほんと (really)
Related: ガチンコ (for real)
general
Added 2026.1.11 21:49 · Revised 2026.9.2 12:02
03000/03153_honki