事実|じじつjijitsu[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. adverb, nounfact; truth; reality
   事実じじつは小説しょうせつよりも奇きなり。↗

   Fact is stranger than fiction.

• Synonym真実しんじつWrittenWritten/formal prose. Truth as opposed to falsehood, as in 「真実を語る」; focuses on true vs false, while 「事実」 stresses what actually happened.
• Synonym実際じっさいNeutralNeutral. The actual situation, as in 「実際は違う」; sets things against theory or imagination rather than reporting what happened.
• Synonym現実げんじつNeutralNeutral. The reality before your eyes, as in 「現実を見る」; contrasts with ideals, not with falsehood.
• Synonym真相しんそうWrittenWritten/formal prose. The truth of an incident, as in 「真相を究明する」; points to hidden facts behind events.
• Synonym本当ほんとうNeutralNeutral. 'True, real', as in 「本当の話」; the most common word in daily use.
• Synonym誠まことWrittenWritten/formal. Truth or sincerity of heart, as in 「誠を尽くす」.
• SynonymファクトNeutralNeutral loanword for fact, as in 「ファクトチェック」; mostly seen in news and media contexts.
• Related実はじつはNeutralNeutral adverb, 'to tell the truth', as in 「実は…」; used when confessing or revealing something.
• Related現にげんにWrittenWritten/formal. 'Actually, indeed', as in 「現にここにある」; stresses evidence right before you, not theory or guesswork.
• RelatedほんまCasualColloquial Kansai dialect used like 「本当」; also a term for a six-shaku length. The standard word is 「本当」.
• Related事実上じじつじょうWrittenWritten/formal. 'In effect, de facto', as in 「事実上の決定」; contrasts what things are in name with what they are in practice.
• Related実態じったいWrittenWritten/formal. The actual state of things, as in 「実態調査」「生活の実態」; 「事実」 stresses that something actually happened.
• Related実相じっそうWrittenWritten/formal. The Buddhist 'ultimate reality' or the true state of affairs; philosophical in flavour.
• Relatedその実そのじつWrittenWritten/formal adverb meaning 'in fact', as in 「その実、何も知らない」.
• Related実際にじっさいにNeutralNeutral adverb, 'in actual fact', as in 「実際に行ってみる」.
• Antonym虚構きょこうWrittenAntonym. Written/formal prose for fiction or fabrication, as in 「虚構の世界」.
• Antonym嘘うそCasualAntonym. Colloquial word for a lie, as in 「嘘をつく」.
• Antonym幻想げんそうNeutralAntonym. Fantasy or illusion, as in 「幻想を抱く」.

「事実」 is the default for things that actually happened. For truth as opposed to falsehood use 「真実」; for the actual situation 「実際」; for reality before your eyes 「現実」; for the hidden truth of an incident 「真相」. In daily speech 「本当」 is the everyday word, and 「実は」 introduces a confession. The opposites are 「嘘」 for a lie, 「虚構」 for fiction and 「幻想」 for fantasy.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 実際じっさいに起おこった事柄ことがら。
2. 本当ほんとうに、実際じっさいに。