The Meaning of jitsu, mi [実] In Japanese

実
じつ, み
Romaji: jitsu, mi N5

What does 実 mean?

Translation and Meaning

fruit, reality, truth, real, actual

Definition

What does 実 mean? It denotes the real or true state of something, the actual result, and in classical usage it can refer to the edible fruit produced by a plant.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • fruit or fruiting body in historical or literary contexts
  • reality or the actual state of affairs
  • genuineness or authenticity
  • practical or substantive aspect in compounds such as 実用 and 実際

Etymology

From 實 (traditional form), reduced to 実 in modern Japanese; onyomi ジツ and kun readings み or みのる.

Origin

Adopted into Japanese with the Chinese writing system; attested in classical texts and shaped by subsequent standardization in Heian and Edo periods to its modern form.

Composition

  • 実 is a single kanji; its meaning centers on realness and fruit in historical usage; the modern form is the simplified version of 實.

Usage

Used as a noun in formal and literary contexts to denote actuality or the fruit sense in older texts; it appears in many compounds such as 実際, 実用, 実力; the kun reading appears in verbs and phrases like 実る.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a real fruit under a roof; the real fruit is 実, read as jitsu or mi.

Variations

  • 真実 (shinjitsu) true, truth
  • 本当の (hontō no) real
  • 実際 (jissai) reality
  • 実用 (jitsuyō) practical use

Example Phrases

  • 新しい アプリを 使えば 日常の 作業効率が 着実に 上がる。
    atarashii apuri o tsukaeba nichijō no sagyō kōritsu ga chakujitsu ni agaru.
    If you use a new app, your daily work efficiency will steadily improve.
    Lista:
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • アプリを (apuri o) – app
    • 使えば (tsukaeba) – if you use
    • 日常の (nichijō no) – everyday/daily
    • 作業効率が (sagyō kōritsu ga) – work efficiency
    • 着実に (chakujitsu ni) – steadily
    • 上がる (agaru) – rises
    Uses the conditional form 〜ば (使えば) to mean ‘if you use’; the word 「効率」 appears in 作業効率 meaning ‘work efficiency’.
  • 今日は授業後、充実した気分だ。
    Kyou wa jugyou-go, juujitsu shita kibun da.
    Today after class, I feel fulfilled.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • 授業後 (jugyou-go) – after class
    • 充実した (juujitsu shita) – fulfilling
    • 気分だ (kibun da) – feeling is
    The word 「充実」 is a noun that becomes 「充実した」 when you add した, meaning ‘fulfilling’ as in 「充実した気分」.
  • この名詞の使い方は実は難しい。
    Kono meishi no tsukaikata wa jitsu wa muzukashii.
    This noun’s usage is actually difficult.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • 名詞 (meishi) – noun
    • の (no) – of
    • 使い方 (tsukaikata) – how to use
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 実は (jitsu wa) – actually
    • 難しい (muzukashii) – difficult
    Aqui 「名詞」 funciona como núcleo de uma expressão com の, formando 「この「名詞」の使い方」, isto é, a forma de usar este 「名詞」.
  • この 新しい アプリは 現実的で 使いやすい。
    Kono atarashii apuri wa genjitsuteki de tsukaiyasui.
    This new app is practical and easy to use.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • アプリは (apuri wa) – the app
    • 現実的で (genjitsuteki de) – realistic and
    • 使いやすい (tsukaiyasui) – easy to use
    Suffix 的 forms a na-adjective; here the word 「現実的」 means ‘practical/realistic’, and its で connects to 使いやすい.
  • 新しいスマホ の 機能 を 実際に 試した。
    Atarashii sumaho no kinou o jissai ni tameshita.
    I actually tried the features of the new smartphone.
    Lista:
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • スマホ (sumaho) – smartphone
    • の (no) – of
    • 機能 (kinou) – function / feature
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 実際に (jissai ni) – actually
    • 試した (tameshita) – tried
    In this sentence, 「機能」 means features or capabilities of a device; the possessive の connects 「機能」 to 「新しいスマホ」.
実