The Meaning of honnin [本人] In Japanese

本人
ほんにん
Romaji: honnin N5

What does 本人 mean?

Translation and Meaning

the person themselves, the person in question, the bearer

Definition

What does 本人 mean? It refers to the person themselves—the actual individual involved in a matter, not a third party, and is used to identify the true subject in formal or everyday contexts.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • the actual individual involved in a matter, as opposed to an intermediary or representative
  • the person who personally performs an action or is affected by it
  • in official contexts, the person whose identity or status is being verified or documented

Etymology

本 + 人 form a native kanji compound; the reading hon-nin comes from on’yomi of the two characters, yielding the standard pronunciation honnin in modern Japanese.

Composition

  • 本: main, origin, true; signals the essential or real aspect
  • 人: person, human; denotes a person

Usage

Used across registers to specify the true person in a matter; in casual speech it can refer to oneself in situations like giving consent, while in formal writing it appears in identity checks and official documents to indicate the individual directly involved.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: True-root person — imagine a root labeled 本 grounding a person labeled 人, reminding you that 本人 means the true person.

Variations

  • 当人 (とうにん, tōnin) – the person in question
  • 第三者 (だいさんしゃ, daisansha) – third party

Example Phrases

  • 本人が見つけた書類を私に渡してくれた。
    honnin ga mitsuketa shorui wo watashite kureta.
    The person themselves handed me the document they found.
    Lista:
    • 本人 (honnin) – the person themselves
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 見つけた (mitsuketa) – found
    • 書類 (shorui) – document
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 私 (watashi) – me
    • に (ni) – to
    • 渡して (watashite) – hand over
    • くれた (kureta) – gave (to me)
    「本人」 means the person themselves; here it marks the actor as the subject who handed it over.
本人