性分|しょうぶんshoubun[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. nounnature; disposition
   彼かれは得とくな性分しょうぶんだ。↗

   He has an optimistic turn of mind.

• Synonym天性てんせいWrittenWritten/formal word for innate gifts; stresses inborn endowment and can also imply exceptional talent — more positive than 「性分」.
• Synonym気質きしつNeutralNeutral; stresses inborn tendencies of emotional reaction, also a psychology term, and sounds objective. 「性分」 points to a temper you cannot change.
• Synonym気性きしょうNeutralNeutral word for temper, focusing on whether one is fierce or mild, as in 「気性が荒い」; more concrete than 「性分」.
• Synonym気心きごころNeutralNeutral; temper and cast of mind, mostly in the phrase 「気心が知れた」, stressing how well you know someone.
• Synonym資質ししつWrittenWritten; aptitude and ability, stressing the qualities that fit someone for a particular job or role.
• Synonym性せいNeutralNeutral single character for nature or quality, but also sex and sexuality; for innate nature, 「人の性」 is usually read 「ひとのさが」.
• Synonym性格せいかくNeutralNeutral; the everyday, most common word for personality — a person's overall pattern of behaviour and dealing with others.
• Synonym性質せいしつNeutralNeutral, ordinary word for a person's character that also names the properties of substances and things, so its range is wider than 「性分」.
• Synonym本性ほんしょうNeutralNeutral; the real nature hidden underneath the surface, often carrying a negative shade.
• Synonym禀性ひんせいWrittenWritten but rare; stresses the character one is born with. Same word as 「稟性」, just written with different characters.
• Synonym稟性ひんせいWrittenWritten but rare; stresses a nature bestowed from above, and sounds more literary and elegant than 「性分」.
• Synonym性情せいじょうWrittenWritten but rare; the whole of one's character and feelings combined — how temperament and mood appear together.
• Related生来せいらいNeutralNeutral; mostly used adverbially to modify, stressing that something has been so from birth rather than naming the temperament itself.
• Related心根こころねWrittenWritten; the heart deep inside, judging whether one is good-natured or not, as in 「心根が優しい」.
• Related持ち前もちまえNeutralNeutral; one's inborn qualities, good or bad alike, as in 「持ち前の明るさ」「持ち前の短気」. 「性分」 stresses a temper that cannot be changed.
• Related素質そしつNeutralNeutral; aptitude or makings, stressing potential for future development rather than personality alone.
• Related真性しんせいWrittenWritten and fairly technical; innate true nature, or 'genuine' in medical terms such as a true form of a disease.

Use 「性分」 for an inborn temper you cannot change, as in 「〜は性分だから」 or 「性分に合わない」. For character in general pick 「性格」, and for temper 「気性」. The everyday 「性質」 is wider still, also covering the properties of things. Others have a narrower focus: 「天性」「稟性」 for innate gifts, 「素質」「資質」 for aptitude, 「心根」 for the heart within, 「本性」 for a hidden true self.

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

1. 生うまれつきまたは元々もともと持もっている性質せいしつ。天性てんせい。たち。