Japanese word

素

Pronunciation

Romajisu

Meaning

  • nountrue self

Example

私は素で話します。watashi wa su de hana shi ma su

I speak as my true self.

Illustration for 素 (true self)

More examples

冗談を言うと、彼の素が見えます。jō dan o yū to kare no su ga mi e ma su

When he tells a joke, his true self comes through.

Core concept

Points to what remains when deliberate presentation and artificial additions are removed from a person or thing.

Common phrases

  • 素で話すsu de hana su

    speak as one's true self

  • 素を出すsu o da su

    show one's true self

  • 素が出るsu ga de ru

    one's true self comes through

Similar words

素顔sugao: The real character seen when a person is not maintaining a public image.
地chi: The character and manner a person shows naturally in familiar situations.
本性honshō: The basic nature within a person, including traits that may stay hidden.

Definition in Japanese

他人に見せるために作られた姿ではない、自然な自分や物事本来の状態。ta nin ni mi se ru ta me ni tsuku ra re ta sugata de wa na i shi zen na ji bun ya mono goto hon rai no jō tai

Word origin

The noun 素 (su, "plainness") uses the Sino-Japanese reading of the Chinese character 素, whose basic sense is being unadorned or unprocessed; Japanese extends that sense to a person's natural self.

Usage tips

  • For conversational Japanese, 素でいる (su de iru) can signal ease and authenticity rather than a manner adopted for a particular setting.

Other meanings

  • true naturenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word