素顔

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 素顔 is read as すがお and is a noun for a bare face without makeup or, figuratively, a person's less visible true nature.
• Basic usage: Going out without makeup appears in 素顔で出る, while discovering a person's nature appears in 優しい素顔を知る.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Literal and figurative meanings
  • It can concern the absence of makeup or figuratively describe an unguarded personality discovered through closer contact.
• Difference from 本性
  • 本性 can reveal a hidden underlying nature with a negative tone, while 素顔 more neutrally suggests a natural, unadorned side.