- honnori slightly, faintly
Used in casual and semi-formal speech to describe a subtle, gentle degree of a sensation, often positive, like a faint smell, taste, or color.
風にほんのりと花の香りがした。
Kaze ni honnori to hana no kaori ga shita.
There was a faint scent of flowers in the wind.
ほんのり赤く染まった空がきれいだ。
Honnori akaku somatta sora ga kirei da.
The sky tinged slightly red is beautiful.
⚖️ Often confused with 'sukoshi' meaning 'a little'; 'honnori' emphasizes the subtlety and gentleness of a sensation.
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Found in a wide range of contexts. Useful for building reading and listening fluency.
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