真相|しんそうshinsou[0]heiban (flat)

1. nountruth; real situation
   真相しんそうを知しっておいたほうがいい。↗

   You may as well know the truth.

• Synonym事実じじつNeutralA fact — something that actually happened, as in 「事実を述べる」. 真相 points to the real situation behind an event rather than the events themselves.
• Synonym真実しんじつNeutralTruth as opposed to falsehood, as in 「真実を知る」. 真相 refers specifically to the real circumstances of an event.
• Synonym実態じったいNeutralThe actual state of things, as in 「実態調査」; it can describe past or present conditions. 真相 focuses on the inside story of an event.
• Synonym本当ほんとうNeutralThe everyday word for what is true or real, as in 「本当の話」; the most common choice in speech.
• Synonym実じつNeutralTruth or substance, as in 「実の親」 or 「実を取る」. Unlike 真相, it does not point to the circumstances of an event.
• Synonym真しんWrittenWritten/formal prose for truth or reality, as in 「真に迫る」; 真相 is the neutral word for an event's real facts.
• Antonym虚構きょこうNeutralSomething made up — fiction or fabrication, the opposite of 真相 as the real facts of an event.
• Antonym嘘うそNeutralA lie — the most common antonym, contrasted with 真相 as the true account of what happened.
• Antonym偽りいつわりNeutralFalsehood or deception; contrasted with 真相, the true circumstances of an event.

Use 「真相」 for the real circumstances behind an event, often details not yet clear: 「真相を究明する」, 「事件の真相」. For what actually happened, say 「事実」; for truth as opposed to falsehood, 「真実」; for the actual state of affairs, 「実態」. The usual opposite is 「嘘」.

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

1. 事件じけんなどの本当ほんとうの事情じじょう。