Translation guide
The English phrase 'make sense' covers several related ideas: being logical, being understandable, and being reasonable or worthwhile. Japanese expresses these differently depending on the nuance.
Expressing that an idea, explanation, or situation is logically consistent and not contradictory.
Literally 'the line/thread goes through', meaning something is logically consistent. Used for arguments, stories, or reasoning.
彼の説明は筋が通っている。
His explanation makes sense.
Means 'conforms to reason'. Slightly more formal, often used for decisions or actions that are rational.
その判断は理にかなっている。
That decision makes sense.
Means 'the story/logic fits together'. Used when details are consistent, often in narratives or alibis.
彼の話はつじつまが合わない。
His story doesn't make sense.
Expressing that something can be understood or comprehended.
Literally 'understand the meaning'. The most direct way to say something makes sense to you.
この文章の意味がわからない。
This sentence doesn't make sense to me.
Means 'can understand/comprehend'. Slightly more formal than 意味がわかる.
彼の気持ちは理解できる。
His feelings make sense to me. / I can understand his feelings.
Literally 'fall into the gut', meaning to be convinced or to have something click. Used when something finally makes sense after thinking.
Expressing that an action or idea is sensible, practical, or a good idea.
Means 'wise/sensible'. Often used when an action is a good idea under the circumstances.
今すぐ出発するのが賢明だ。
It makes sense to leave right now.
Also used for practical reasonableness, not just logic.
値段を考えれば、それを買うのは理にかなっている。
Considering the price, it makes sense to buy it.
Means 'it's natural/obvious'. Used when something is expected or makes sense given the situation.
彼が怒るのも当然だ。
It makes sense that he's angry.
Expressing the act of interpreting or finding meaning in something.
Use with an object to mean 'make sense of ~'. The object is marked with を.
彼の行動を理解するのは難しい。
It's hard to make sense of his behavior.
Literally 'grasp the meaning of ~'. More active than just understanding.
この詩の意味をつかもうとしている。
I'm trying to make sense of this poem.
Do not translate 'make sense' word-for-word as 意味を作る or 感覚を作る. These are not natural Japanese and will not be understood.
筋が通っている focuses on internal logical consistency (like a straight line). 理にかなっている focuses on conformity to reason or principle. In many cases they overlap, but 筋が通っている is more about coherence, while 理にかなっている is more about rationality.
やっと彼の言いたいことが腑に落ちた。
What he wanted to say finally made sense to me.