真面目な（まじめな、majimena）
- serious

The Japanese word 真面目な (まじめな) is an adjective that describes someone or something as serious, earnest, diligent, or conscientious. It implies a sense of responsibility, sincerity, and hard work. It suggests a person who is not frivolous or unserious, and who takes their duties and obligations seriously. It can also describe a situation that is serious or straightforward. The 真面目な person usually values truthfulness and integrity.

⚫︎彼は真面目な学生です。 Translation: He is a serious student. ⚫︎真面目な仕事を探しています。 Translation: I am looking for a serious job. ⚫︎彼女は真面目な》性格です。 Translation: She has a serious personality.

⚫︎You would use 真面目な to describe someone who is generally serious, or does things in a serious manner. ⚫︎You can also use it to describe a situation that calls for seriousness. ⚫︎It's important to understand the context, as being too 真面目な can sometimes be interpreted as inflexible or lacking humor.

⚫︎The word is typically written with the kanji 真 (ま - true, genuine), 面 (じめ - face, surface), and 目 (め - eye, but here, it's used as a grammatical part) and the hiragana な. ⚫︎The hiragana reading is まじめな. ⚫︎The okurigana (hiragana attached to kanji) is standardized, so there are no common variations in the spelling of 真面目な.

⚫︎まじめ（真面目 as a noun） ⚫︎真剣な（しんけんな）- serious; earnest ⚫︎一生懸命な（いっしょうけんめいな）- with all one's effort, very hard ⚫︎誠実な（せいじつな）- sincere, honest ⚫︎真摯な（しんしな）- sincere, earnest

⚫︎不真面目な（ふまじめな）- unserious, not serious ⚫︎不真面目（ふまじめ） - unseriousness ⚫︎いい加減な（いいかげんな） - irresponsible, casual ⚫︎ふざけた - joking, playful

彼は真面目な人だから、約束を必ず守ります。 ・Translation: Because he is a serious person, he always keeps his promises. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how 真面目な describes a person who can be relied upon because of their earnestness and sense of responsibility.

試験は真面目な態度で受けなければなりません。 ・Translation: You must take the exam with a serious attitude. ・Explanation: This shows how 真面目な can be used to describe the appropriate behavior for a specific situation, such as an exam.

⚫︎The kanji 真 means "true" or "genuine," and 面 refers to one's "face" or "aspect." The combination suggests a person's true "face" or their genuine way of dealing with things, without pretense. ⚫︎The word's origin likely reflects the concept of sincerity and a direct approach to tasks and relationships.