Translation guide
The ability to understand or know something immediately without conscious reasoning. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through nouns for intuitive insight, verbs for sensing or perceiving, and idiomatic phrases that emphasize gut feelings or flashes of understanding.
The power or faculty of knowing something without rational thought, often as a personal trait.
The most common and direct equivalent for 'intuition' as a general ability or a specific intuitive feeling. Used in everyday conversation.
彼女は直感が鋭い。
She has sharp intuition.
直感を信じて行動した。
I acted on my intuition.
A more casual, everyday term for 'gut feeling' or 'sixth sense'. Often used in phrases like 勘がいい (to have good intuition) or 勘で動く (to act on a hunch).
彼は勘がいいから、すぐにわかった。
He has good intuition, so he figured it out right away.
何となく、嫌な勘がした。
I just had a bad feeling about it.
Literally 'sixth sense'. Used for a mysterious, almost supernatural intuitive ability. Slightly more dramatic than 直感 or 勘.
第六感が働いて、危険を察知した。
My sixth sense kicked in and I sensed danger.
A sudden moment of understanding or realization that comes without logical reasoning.
Often used in philosophical or psychological contexts for 'intuition' as a mode of immediate understanding. Can overlap with 直感, but 直観 leans slightly more toward intellectual insight.
彼の言葉で直観がひらめいた。
His words sparked an intuition.
An idiomatic phrase meaning 'to have a flash of intuition' or 'it clicks'. Used when something suddenly makes sense or you get a hunch.
話を聞いて、すぐにピンときた。
When I heard the story, I immediately had an intuition.
彼が嘘をついているとピンときた。
I had a hunch that he was lying.
A 'flash of inspiration' or 'sudden insight'. Often used for creative or problem-solving intuitions.
An instinctive feeling or judgment about someone or something, often without clear evidence.
A premonition or foreboding, literally 'an insect's notice'. Used for an inexplicable feeling that something bad is going to happen.
虫の知らせで、今日は出かけないほうがいいと思った。
My intuition told me I shouldn't go out today.
To sense or suspect something intuitively, often about hidden truths or people's motives.
Immediate perception or direct intuition. A more formal and less common term, often used in philosophical or literary contexts.
Describing the action of relying on intuition rather than logic.
To rely on one's intuition or gut feeling.
経験がないので、勘に頼るしかなかった。
I had no experience, so I had to rely on my intuition.
To act on intuition. Often used when making decisions without overthinking.
彼はいつも直感で動く。
He always acts on his intuition.
直感 is the standard word for intuition and can be used in most contexts. 勘 is more casual and often refers to a gut feeling or hunch, commonly used in phrases like 勘がいい (to have good intuition). 第六感 is more dramatic and implies a mysterious sixth sense. For everyday use, 直感 or 勘 are preferred.
直感で選んだ。
I chose based on intuition.
勘で答えた。
I answered based on a hunch.
第六感がそう言っている。
My sixth sense tells me so.
English often uses 'intuit' as a verb, but Japanese does not have a direct verb equivalent. Instead, use phrases like 直感でわかる (to know by intuition), ピンとくる (to have a flash of intuition), or 感づく (to sense intuitively).
自分の直感を信じている。
I trust my intuition.
彼女の直感は当たっていた。
Her intuition was right.
彼は人を見る直感が鋭い。
He has a strong intuition about people.
いいアイデアがひらめいた。
I had a flash of intuition for a good idea.
彼女は何か隠していると感づいた。
I had an intuition that she was hiding something.
He intuitively perceived the danger.