“hontō ni・masa ni”: Really / Precisely (emphatic adverbs) [JLPT N2]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

Adverbs that emphasize the core of a sentence

「本当にありがとう」 vs 「まさにその通り」 — the division between ‘truly' and ‘precisely'

「本当にありがとう」 (truly thank you) and 「まさにその通りだ」 (that's precisely so) — these two intensifiers are often confused. 「本当に」 = truly, very (stressing degree or truthfulness); 「まさに」 = precisely, exactly (stressing exact correspondence, assertion). One intensifies “degree/sincerity,” the other asserts “exactly this, spot on.” This guide covers their division of labor and the traps of the look-alikes 「まさか」「本当は.」

Core: 本当に = degree/truth, まさに = exact correspondence

These two intensifiers differ at the core:

• 本当に = truly, very (stressing ‘high degree' or ‘not false'): it intensifies adjectives, feelings. 本当においしい (truly delicious — degree), 本当にありがとう (heartfelt thanks — truth).
• まさに = precisely, exactly (asserting ‘spot on, exactly this'): it stresses exact match, precisely so. まさに理想的な天気だ (precisely the ideal weather), まさにその通り (precisely so).

Feel: “truly, very (本当に)” vs “precisely, exactly (まさに)” — 「本当に」 intensifies a quality/feeling (truly very ～), 「まさに」 pins down a judgment (precisely ～, exactly ～). The former handles “degree/sincerity,” the latter “precise hit.”

Attachment & forms

Example sentences

• この料理は本当においしい。(This dish is truly delicious.) — degree
• 本当にご迷惑をおかけしました。(I truly caused you trouble.) — sincere apology
• これはまさに私が探していた本だ。(This is precisely the book I was looking for.) — exact match
• まさにその瞬間、電話が鳴った。(At precisely that moment, the phone rang.) — exactly
• 彼はまさに天才と言える。(He can indeed be called a genius.) — assertion

⚠️ Where learners slip up

① 「まさに」 is for ‘exact match,' not plain degree. This is the commonest error. 「まさに」 marks ‘precisely, exactly this, exact correspondence,' asserting “spot on, exactly this,” not merely intensifying degree: これはまさに傑作だ (this is precisely a masterpiece — asserting an exact fit to “masterpiece”), まさに理想的な天気 (precisely the ideal weather — an exact match). It can't be used for plain ‘very ～' degree: × まさに暑い (wrong for “it's hot” — “hot” is just degree, with no “matching a judgment”) → for plain degree use 「本当に暑い／とても暑い (truly hot).」 Test: to assert “precisely, exactly this” use まさに; to merely intensify “very ～, extremely ～” use 本当に.

② 「まさに」 vs 「まさか」: precisely vs surely-not/unexpectedly (look-alike trap). These two look alike but mean completely different things — don't misread. 「まさに」 = precisely, indeed (asserting a match): まさにその通り (precisely so). 「まさか」 = surely not, unexpectedly, no way (surprise, disbelief): まさか彼が来るとは (never thought he'd come), まさか！ (no way!), まさか負けるとは思わなかった (never thought we'd lose). One is a positive assertion (precisely), the other a surprised/negative conjecture (surely not, no way) — one kana apart, worlds apart. See 「まさに,」 think “precisely”; see 「まさか,」 think “surely not/unexpectedly.”

③ 「本当に」 vs 「本当は」: truly vs actually (a turn; trap). Also a look-alike mix-up. 「本当に」 = truly, very (intensifier): 本当にありがとう (truly thank you). 「本当は」 = actually, in fact (marks a turn, “on the surface … but actually …”): 本当は行きたくない (I actually don't want to go), 本当は知っているくせに (even though you actually know). 「本当に」 stresses sincerity/degree, 「本当は」 points out a hidden truth, makes a turn — completely different functions. Don't misuse the turning 「本当は」 as an intensifier (× 本当はありがとう → use ○ 本当にありがとう). Mnemonic: 〜に = truly (intensify), 〜は = actually (turn).

🔄 Compare: 本当に／まさに／まさか／確かに

💡 How to remember this

「本当に」 and 「まさに」 are both intensifiers but with a clear division: ① 「本当に」 = truly, very — it intensifies degree or marks sincerity for adjectives, feelings (本当においしい, 本当にありがとう), colloquially contracting to 「ほんとに・ほんと」; ② 「まさに」 = precisely, exactly — it asserts “spot on, exactly this” (まさにその通り, まさに理想的), and can't be used for plain degree (×まさに暑い → 本当に暑い). Two more look-alike traps to separate: 「まさに (precisely)」 ≠ 「まさか (surely not/unexpectedly)」, and 「本当に (truly)」 ≠ 「本当は (actually, a turn)」 — one kana apart, worlds apart in meaning. To intensify “very ～, sincerely ～” use 本当に; to assert “precisely this” use まさに. This pair is used constantly in daily life — separating them makes your expression far more precise.

❓ Quick FAQ

Q: 「本当に」 and 「まさに」 are both intensifiers — can they be swapped?

Not freely swappable, because they intensify different things. 「本当に」 = truly, very (stressing degree or truthfulness): it intensifies adjectives, verbs, feelings or marks “non-false, sincere,” the core being “high degree／not fake”: この景色は本当にきれいだ (this view is truly beautiful — degree), 本当に助かりました (you truly saved me — sincerity), 本当にそうなの? (is it really so? — confirming truth). 「まさに」 = precisely, exactly (stressing exact correspondence): it asserts “spot on, exactly this,” the core being “a perfect hit, an exact fit”: これまさに私が言いたかったことだ (this is precisely what I wanted to say), まさに今、出発したところだ (just now, at precisely this moment, set off), 彼はまさにリーダーにふさわしい (he is indeed fit to be leader). Test: to say “truly very ～, extremely ～, sincerely ～” (intensifying degree/sincerity) → 本当に; to say “precisely ～, exactly ～, indeed exactly this” (asserting a match) → まさに. A test: if the sentence “intensifies the degree of a quality” (truly hot, truly happy), use 本当に; if it “asserts something fits a judgment exactly” (precisely so, precisely that), use まさに. So 「本当においしい (truly delicious)」 and 「まさに傑作 (precisely a masterpiece)」 can't be swapped — the former intensifies the degree of “delicious,” the latter asserts “it is a masterpiece.”

Q: Is 「本当に」 often shortened in speech? And what is 「本当は」?

Yes, both points are worth noting. ① Colloquial contraction: 「本当に」 in casual speech often contracts to 「ほんとに」, or even the more offhand 「ほんと」, especially in LINE, chat, friendly conversation: 「ほんとありがとう (thanks a lot)」, 「ほんとに? (really?)」, 「これほんとおいしい (this is really good).」 It's just a colloquial sound change of 「本当に,」 same meaning, but very casual, not for formal settings (formal writing, business still use 「本当に」). So hearing 「ほんと（に）,」 don't think it's another word — it's the colloquial version of 「本当に.」 ② 「本当は」 is a different word, entirely different meaning: 「本当は」 = “actually, in fact, to tell the truth,” marking a turn, with the flavor of “on the surface/originally A, but actually B”: 本当は行きたくないんだ (I actually don't want to go), 本当はもっと言いたいことがある (I actually have more to say), 本当は知ってるんでしょ? (you actually know, don't you?). Note it's functionally completely different from 「本当に (truly, intensifier)」 — 「本当に」 intensifies (truly very ～, sincerely ～), 「本当は」 turns, points out a hidden truth (actually …). The commonest error is misusing 「本当は」 as an intensifier: × 本当は感謝しています (wrong for “I sincerely thank you”) → use ○ 本当に感謝しています. Remember the difference: 「本当に」 = truly (intensify), 「本当は」 = actually (turn) — one 「に,」 one 「は,」 don't confuse them.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「これは___私が望んでいた結果だ。」(exactly; a perfect match)

(A) まさに　(B) まさか　(C) もしや　(D) たぶん

Q2. 「___ありがとう。」(thank you truly)

(A) 本当に　(B) まさに　(C) まさか　(D) いかに

Q3. 「まさにその通り」の意味は?

(A) Exactly so (a perfect match)

(B) Perhaps so

(C) Completely wrong

(D) Don't know

Q4. 「本当に」と「まさに」の違いは?

(A) 本当に = really/very (degree); まさに = exactly (a perfect match)

(B) The two are exactly the same

(C) 本当に = perfect match

(D) まさに = degree

Q5. 用法が自然なのは?

(A) まさに理想的な天気だ。　(B) まさに暑いです(程度のみ)。

(C) 本当にその通り(吻合は まさに)。　(D) 本当にだ高い。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) まさに ── exactly the result I hoped for (a match).

2. (A) 本当に ── thank you truly.

3. (A) ── exactly so.

4. (A) ── 本当に is degree; まさに is a perfect match.

5. (A) ── 「まさに理想的な天気」 is correct.