【Japanese Vocabulary】Let’s learn how to use 実は（じつは／jitsuwa）in a conversation and a sentence.

Your dictionary may tell you that じつは means ‘actually’.

However, it means more like ‘to tell you the truth’.

The English word ‘actually’ can be used in a conversation a lot, but the Japanese word 実は is not. It is used only when you want to disclose something important like a secret.

実は（じつは／ji tsu wa）

実は is usually used when you confess something to somebody.

せんせい

Let’s use 実は when you reveal something unknown yet.

Example

実は私がやったんです。(To tell you the truth, I did that.)
車をこわしたのは実は私です。(To tell you the truth, I broke the car.)
この家には実は幽霊がでるんです。(To tell you the truth, there are ghosts in this house.)
実は私の父はアメリカ人なんです。(To tell you the truth, my father is American.)
実はこのあいだ宝くじに当たったんです。(To tell you the truth, I hit the jackpot a while ago.)

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