本人|ほんにんhonnin[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounthe person in question; the person themselves; said person
   あなた本人ほんにんが彼女かのじょに話はなさなければならない。↗

   You must talk to her in person.

• Synonym自分じぶんNeutralA reflexive pronoun for oneself in general, also usable as 'I'; 「本人」 pinpoints the person concerned, often set against 代理人 or 他人.
• Synonym自身じしんNeutralAttaches to nouns for emphasis, as in 「彼自身」「制度自身」, and can apply to things; 「本人」 refers only to people.
• Synonym自らみずからWrittenA written adverb meaning naturally or of its own accord; not a synonym of 「本人」 and not interchangeable. When written 「自ら」, don't confuse it with 「みずから」.
• Related自分自身じぶんじしんNeutralStresses 「自分」: oneself as opposed to others, as in 「自分自身で決める」; 「本人」 points to the person directly involved in the matter.
• Related自己じこWrittenFound in abstract psychological or philosophical contexts and compounds like 「自己紹介」「自己責任」; 「本人」 denotes a concrete person concerned.
• Antonym他人たにんNeutralPeople other than oneself, outsiders; it contrasts with 「本人」 over whether the person in question is oneself.
• Antonym代理人だいりにんFormalSomeone who handles procedures or exercises authority in place of the person concerned; in legal and procedural documents it often appears paired with 「本人」.

Use 「本人」 for the person directly concerned, as in 「本人確認」. For oneself in general use 「自分」, for emphasis 「自身」, for the abstract self 「自己」. 「他人」 and 「代理人」 are its opposites.

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

1. 直接ちょくせつの関係かんけいをもつ人ひと自身じしん。