What does 本当に (hontouni | ほんとうに) mean in Japanese?

The Japanese word

本当に面白かったよ。
hontōni omoshirokatta yo.
It was really interesting. | That was really interesting.

彼女は本当に賢いよね？
kanojo wa hontōni kashikoi yo ne?
She's really smart, isn't she?

ハリーは本当に蛍光灯だね。
harī wa hontōni keikō tō da ne.
Harry's really slow to catch on.

幽霊は本当に居るのだろうか。
yūrei wa hontōni iru no daro u ka.
Do ghosts really exist?

本当に彼のことをどう思いますか。
hontōni kare no koto o dō omoi masu ka.
What do you really think of him?

本当に心からこんなことを思った。
hontōni kokorokara konna koto o omotta.
This is really from my heart.

本当に捨てるわけにはいかないよ。
hontōni suteru wake ni wa ika nai yo.
We can't really throw it away!

痴漢は本当に女の敵。絶対に許さないです。
chikan wa hontōni onna no teki. zettai ni yurusa nai desu.
A molester is truly the enemy of women. I'll never let them get away with it.

ショービジネスというのは本当に華やかだ。
shō bijinesu toyū no wa hontōni hanayaka da.
Show business is really glamorous.

本当に大事なのは、財産ではなく、人間である。
hontōni daiji na no wa, zaisan de wa naku, ningen de aru.
It is not what a man has but what he is that is really important.

くそー、渚のやつ、本当に先生にチクりやがった。
### - kuso ー, nagisa no yatsu, hontōni sensei ni chiku riya gatta.
Dammit, that pest Nagisa, she really went and snitched on me to the teachers.

本当に日本の子供たちは太陽を赤くぬるのですか。
hontōni nippon no kodomo tachi wa taiyō o akaku nuru no desu ka.
Do Japanese children really paint the sun red?

わ、笑いごとじゃないよ！本当に大変なんだからさ。
wa, waraigoto ja nai yo! hontōni taihen nan da kara sa.
It's no joke! It's really a pain, you see.

アンタ本当に器用ねっ。主夫とか向いてるんじゃない？
anta hontōni kiyō ne.. jufu toka mukai terun ja nai?
You're really handy, aren't you? Don't you think you'd make a good house-husband?

明日仕事に行くと考えると、私は本当に気分が滅入る。
ashita shigoto ni iku to kangaeru to, watashi wa hontōni kibun ga meiru.
The thought of going to work tomorrow really depresses me.

本当に眠ってなんかいない、うとうとしているだけだ。
hontōni nemutte nanka i nai, utōto shi te iru dake da.
I'm not really asleep, just dozing.

その答えを知るのにあなたは本当にその質問をする必要があるのかしら。
sono kotae o shiru noni anata wa hontōni sono shitsumon o suru hitsuyō ga aru no kashira.
Do you really need to ask the question to know the answer?

まあまあなんて細い腰なの！お顔も小さくて、本当にお人形さんみたい！
mā mā nante hosoi koshi na no! o kao mo chīsaku te, hontōni o ningyū san mitai!
My what a narrow waist! Her face is small, she really looks just like a doll!

ただ、調子を合わせているんじゃない。本当に、私の気持ちを分かっていて同情している目だった。
tada, chōshi o awase te irun ja nai. hontōni, watashi no kimochi o wakatte i te dōjō shi te iru me datta.
He wasn't just humouring me. Those were the eyes of someone who really understood my feelings and sympathised.

	The Japanese word
	本当に
	is pronounced
	hontouni \| ほんとうに
	means
	really, truly

	Examples:
	本当に面白かったよ。 hontōni omoshirokatta yo. It was really interesting. \| That was really interesting.
	彼女は本当に賢いよね？ kanojo wa hontōni kashikoi yo ne? She's really smart, isn't she?
	ハリーは本当に蛍光灯だね。 harī wa hontōni keikō tō da ne. Harry's really slow to catch on.
	幽霊は本当に居るのだろうか。 yūrei wa hontōni iru no daro u ka. Do ghosts really exist?
	本当に彼のことをどう思いますか。 hontōni kare no koto o dō omoi masu ka. What do you really think of him?
	本当に心からこんなことを思った。 hontōni kokorokara konna koto o omotta. This is really from my heart.
	本当に捨てるわけにはいかないよ。 hontōni suteru wake ni wa ika nai yo. We can't really throw it away!
	痴漢は本当に女の敵。絶対に許さないです。 chikan wa hontōni onna no teki. zettai ni yurusa nai desu. A molester is truly the enemy of women. I'll never let them get away with it.
	ショービジネスというのは本当に華やかだ。 shō bijinesu toyū no wa hontōni hanayaka da. Show business is really glamorous.
	本当に大事なのは、財産ではなく、人間である。 hontōni daiji na no wa, zaisan de wa naku, ningen de aru. It is not what a man has but what he is that is really important.
	くそー、渚のやつ、本当に先生にチクりやがった。 ### - kuso ー, nagisa no yatsu, hontōni sensei ni chiku riya gatta. Dammit, that pest Nagisa, she really went and snitched on me to the teachers.
	本当に日本の子供たちは太陽を赤くぬるのですか。 hontōni nippon no kodomo tachi wa taiyō o akaku nuru no desu ka. Do Japanese children really paint the sun red?
	わ、笑いごとじゃないよ！本当に大変なんだからさ。 wa, waraigoto ja nai yo! hontōni taihen nan da kara sa. It's no joke! It's really a pain, you see.
	アンタ本当に器用ねっ。主夫とか向いてるんじゃない？ anta hontōni kiyō ne.. jufu toka mukai terun ja nai? You're really handy, aren't you? Don't you think you'd make a good house-husband?
	明日仕事に行くと考えると、私は本当に気分が滅入る。 ashita shigoto ni iku to kangaeru to, watashi wa hontōni kibun ga meiru. The thought of going to work tomorrow really depresses me.
	本当に眠ってなんかいない、うとうとしているだけだ。 hontōni nemutte nanka i nai, utōto shi te iru dake da. I'm not really asleep, just dozing.
	その答えを知るのにあなたは本当にその質問をする必要があるのかしら。 sono kotae o shiru noni anata wa hontōni sono shitsumon o suru hitsuyō ga aru no kashira. Do you really need to ask the question to know the answer?
	まあまあなんて細い腰なの！お顔も小さくて、本当にお人形さんみたい！ mā mā nante hosoi koshi na no! o kao mo chīsaku te, hontōni o ningyū san mitai! My what a narrow waist! Her face is small, she really looks just like a doll!
	ただ、調子を合わせているんじゃない。本当に、私の気持ちを分かっていて同情している目だった。 tada, chōshi o awase te irun ja nai. hontōni, watashi no kimochi o wakatte i te dōjō shi te iru me datta. He wasn't just humouring me. Those were the eyes of someone who really understood my feelings and sympathised.

	Examples sourced from tatoeba.org