How to understand 素直 For the longest time, I thought meant "honest" (because my dicitionary gave it as one of several meanings). Now I've also seen the meaning "docile". and now I'm totally confused. Eg. in the sentence Are you meant to become more honest (to whom)? Or more obedient (to whom/what)? Does it depend on the context? Is it possible my confusion stems from the fact that we would express these things completely differently in English?

has a few subtle uses. If someone is describing another person as "sunao", they could mean honest, I suppose, but it might more accurately be described as "being honest to oneself" ... in other words, to be accepting of some fact, (as opposed to being argumentative about it, which is where the sense of being "docile" fits in with the various uses of the word) In anime where I've heard it used, it's generally someone asking another person to accept their situation with grace. That ties in with obedience if the situation is that of a subordinate to a superior. If you're arguing with your higher-ups, you are definitely not ""

Common phrases that include :

sunao na hanashi: a frank, honest discussion

sunao na hito: a mild-mannered/calm/open-minded/frank person (depends on context)

sunao ni naru: calm down/be honest (with yourself)/give in