Translation guide
The English word "sense" covers a wide range of meanings, from physical senses and feelings to common sense and making sense of something. This guide breaks down the main uses and provides natural Japanese equivalents for each.
The ability to make reasonable decisions or behave appropriately in everyday situations.
Refers to common sense, the basic knowledge and judgment expected of everyone in society.
彼は常識がない。
He has no common sense.
それは常識で考えればわかることだ。
You can figure that out with common sense.
Good sense or sound judgment, often with a moral nuance. More formal than 常識.
彼の行動は良識に欠けている。
His behavior lacks good sense.
To have discretion or prudence; to be sensible. Often used for mature judgment.
彼女は分別があるから大丈夫だ。
She has good sense, so it'll be fine.
When something is understandable, logical, or coherent.
Literally 'the meaning goes through'. Used when a statement or explanation is coherent and understandable.
彼の説明は意味が通らない。
His explanation doesn't make sense.
Means something is logical or consistent. Often used for arguments or reasoning.
彼の意見は筋が通っている。
His opinion makes sense.
To be consistent, to add up. Used when facts or stories are coherent.
彼の話はつじつまが合わない。
His story doesn't make sense.
Understanding or acceptance; often used in the phrase 納得がいく (to make sense / be convinced).
A physical feeling or a vague perception.
General term for physical sensation or a sense (e.g., sense of touch, sense of balance). Also used for intuitive feelings.
指先の感覚がなくなった。
I lost sensation in my fingertips.
危険を感じる感覚が鋭い。
He has a keen sense of danger.
A more casual, general word for feeling or impression. Often used for vague senses.
変な感じがする。
I have a strange feeling.
Sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch.
The five senses collectively.
五感を研ぎ澄ます。
Sharpen your senses.
Suffix for specific senses: 視覚 (sight), 聴覚 (hearing), 嗅覚 (smell), 味覚 (taste), 触覚 (touch).
彼は聴覚が優れている。
He has an excellent sense of hearing.
Being aware of something, often used in phrases like 'sense of responsibility' or 'sense of self'.
Consciousness or awareness. Used in many compounds like 責任感 (sense of responsibility) or 罪悪感 (sense of guilt).
彼は責任感が強い。
He has a strong sense of responsibility.
自己意識が高すぎる。
He is too self-conscious.
Can also be used for an intuitive sense of something, like a sense of direction or rhythm.
A feeling that something is true without conscious reasoning.
Intuition, sixth sense, or hunch. Often used in phrases like 勘がいい (to have good intuition).
彼は勘が鋭い。
He has sharp intuition.
なんとなくそんな気がする。
I just have a feeling.
Direct intuition or gut feeling. Slightly more formal than 勘.
An ability to appreciate or understand something, like humor or fashion.
Loanword from English, widely used for 'sense' in terms of taste, style, or aptitude. E.g., ユーモアのセンス (sense of humor).
彼女はファッションのセンスがいい。
She has a good sense of fashion.
彼はユーモアのセンスがない。
He has no sense of humor.
Can also be used for artistic or aesthetic sense, but センス is more common in casual contexts.
Used to qualify a statement, meaning 'in a way' or 'from a certain perspective'.
Literally 'in a certain meaning'. Very common for 'in a sense'.
ある意味で、彼は正しい。
In a sense, he is right.
Slightly more emphatic or contrastive version of ある意味で.
ある意味では、それは真実だ。
In a sense, that is true.
常識 is common sense shared by society. 良識 implies morally good judgment. 分別 is more about prudence and discretion, often associated with maturity.
The English phrase 'make sense' has no single direct equivalent. Use 意味が通る, 筋が通っている, or 納得がいく depending on context. Avoid literal translations like センスを作る.
センス is a very common loanword for 'sense' in contexts like fashion, humor, or artistic taste. It's often used with いい/悪い (good/bad).
その説明で納得がいった。
That explanation made sense to me.
方向感覚が鈍い。
I have a poor sense of direction.
直感で決めた。
I decided based on intuition.
色彩感覚が優れている。
He has an excellent sense of color.