difference between 本当な , 本当の and 本物

Question

I'm not really sure when I should use 本当　as a な adjetive or a noun. For example let's see these examples.

この人は本物の男だよ

この人は本当な男だ

この人は本当の男だ

What's the difference between these 3 sentences? (if there is any kind of mistake, please correct it) I think that 本物 it's used with objects (as in the word uses the 物 kanji) but the other two I have no clue. Thanks!

Answer 1

本当 is a no-adejctive, so 本当な男 is simply wrong. For the general difference between 本物の男 and 本当の男, see: What is the difference between 「本物」 and 「本当」?

In your case, the difference between 本物の男だ and 本当の男だ is not large, but 本物の男だ sounds a bit more natural to me. They can be used interchangeably in several situations:

• (I thought he was a coward boy but) He is a real man!
• (I thought this person was a woman dressed as a man but) He is a real man!
• (You were raised in a woman-only community and did not know what a guy looks like, but) He is a real man!

本当に男だ means "He is indeed a guy", "He is a guy as you said", "He is really a guy", etc.