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生真面目

きまじめ

too serious; person who is too serious; honesty; sincerity

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 彼は生真面目な性格だ。

    かれはきまじめなせいかくだ。

    He has an over-earnest personality.

  2. 彼女は生真面目な気質である。

    かのじょはきまじめなきしつである。

    She is of a serious disposition.

  3. 生真面目すぎて冗談が通じない。

    きまじめすぎてじょうだんがつうじない。

    He's so straight-laced that jokes go right past him.

Common patterns

生真面目な性格
an over-serious nature
生真面目すぎる
to be too earnest for one's own good
生真面目に取り組む
to tackle something in deadly earnest

Memory tip

The prefix 生 intensifies 真面目: earnest to a fault, humourless, unable to bend. Where 真面目 is praise, 生真面目 is gently critical.

Kanji in this word

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What does 生真面目 mean?