Translation guide
To experience an emotion or sensation intensely and deeply. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for feeling something strongly, from emotional pain to physical sensations.
Expressing that you feel an emotion (sadness, joy, gratitude, etc.) very strongly.
Literally 'soak into the body', used when an emotion deeply affects you, often implying a lasting impression. Common for gratitude, kindness, or sadness.
彼の親切が身にしみた。
I felt his kindness keenly.
My friend's words hit home and I cried.
To feel something acutely, often used for realizing a need, lack, or mistake. Stronger than just 'realize', it implies a painful or sharp awareness.
健康の大切さを痛感した。
I keenly felt the importance of health.
自分の力不足を痛感している。
I am keenly aware of my own inadequacy.
To feel something deeply and quietly, often with a sense of reflection or nostalgia. Used for gratitude, happiness, or the passage of time.
家族のありがたみをしみじみ感じた。
I keenly felt the value of family.
To feel something pressing in on you, often used for pressure, urgency, or an unavoidable reality. Implies a gradual but intense sensation.
時間のなさをひしひしと感じる。
I keenly feel the lack of time.
To feel something urgently and earnestly, often a need or desire. Slightly formal.
支援の必要性を切実に感じている。
I keenly feel the need for support.
Describing a sharp, piercing physical sensation like cold, pain, or hunger.
Also used for physical sensations, especially cold that seems to penetrate your body. Very common in winter.
寒さが身にしみる。
I feel the cold keenly.
A stronger version of 身にしみる, 'soak into bones and flesh'. Emphasizes deep, penetrating cold or pain.
この寒さは骨身にしみる。
This cold cuts right through me.
A stabbing pain, used for sharp physical pain felt keenly.
刺すような痛みを感じた。
I felt a keen, stabbing pain.
Expressing that you are acutely aware of something missing or insufficient.
As above, but particularly common with words like 必要性 (necessity) or 不足 (shortage).
人手不足を痛感している。
I keenly feel the staff shortage.
To understand something through keen personal experience, often a lack or hardship.
お金の大切さが身にしみてわかった。
I keenly understood the importance of money.
身にしみる is more emotional and often used for gratitude or cold. 痛感する is more intellectual, used for realizing facts or needs. Both can translate 'feel keenly' but have different nuances.
親の愛が身にしみた。
I keenly felt my parents' love.
勉強不足を痛感した。
I keenly felt my lack of study.