本性(ほんせい)

本性(ほんせい) is the reading used in philosophy and scholarly writing for the nature that humans, or things, have by birth. It is a neutral, descriptive word: it says what something is like at root, not that something bad was hidden.

Common patterns

• 人間(にんげん)の本性(ほんせい): human nature
• 本性(ほんせい)は善(ぜん)である / 悪(あく)である: (human) nature is good / evil, the question behind 性善説(せいぜんせつ) and 性悪説(せいあくせつ)

Watch out

The everyday word written 本性 is read ほんしょう: 本性(ほんしょう)を現(あらわ)す (to show one's true colours) and 本性(ほんしょう)が出(で)る (one's true nature comes out) always use that reading, and so does the Buddhist term. Read ほんせい only in discussions of innate nature like the ones above; when in doubt, ほんしょう is the safer reading in speech.

Similar words

• 本性(ほんしょう): true nature, true colours (everyday; usually something hidden and unpleasant)
• 本質(ほんしつ): essence (of a thing or an issue)
• 人間性(にんげんせい): humanity; human nature as a quality