本当
ほんとう · hontou · JLPT N5 · noun
real number
📖 本当 = origin (本) + hit the mark (当): it matches the source, so it is true
本 means root or origin, and 当 means to hit or correspond. Something 本当 corresponds to the origin, so it is real, not a copy or a lie. Sound hook: hontou starts like honest, and an honest statement is a true one.
本 — tree 木 + mark at base
本 is a pictograph of a tree (木) with a stroke at its base, marking the roots. From this 'root' meaning it extended to 'origin,' 'source,' and 'foundation.' In modern usage it also serves as a measure word for bound objects like books.
当 — small ⺌ + crown 冖 + hand 彐 (simplified from 當: 尚 + 田)
Originally written 當, combining 田 'field' with 尚 as a phonetic. The early sense was 'to match' or 'face' a field of equal value, extended to 'correspond to', 'ought to', and 'serve as'. The simplified form 当 streamlines the upper 尚 component.
ほんと · honto · JLPT N3 · noun
truth
🎯 本当 = origin 本 + hit 当: it hits the root, so it's true. Honto ≈ honest
本 means root or origin, and 当 means to hit or be right on. Together they mean right on the root: the real thing. The full reading is hontō, and in speech it often shortens to honto. Honto sounds close to honest, a handy hook for truth.
本 — tree 木 + mark at base
本 is a pictograph of a tree (木) with a stroke at its base, marking the roots. From this 'root' meaning it extended to 'origin,' 'source,' and 'foundation.' In modern usage it also serves as a measure word for bound objects like books.
当 — small ⺌ + crown 冖 + hand 彐 (simplified from 當: 尚 + 田)
Originally written 當, combining 田 'field' with 尚 as a phonetic. The early sense was 'to match' or 'face' a field of equal value, extended to 'correspond to', 'ought to', and 'serve as'. The simplified form 当 streamlines the upper 尚 component.