Translation guide
The English word 'hunch' can refer to an intuitive feeling or suspicion, or to a hunched posture. This guide focuses on expressing the intuitive feeling sense in Japanese, as the physical posture is a separate concept.
Expressing a gut feeling, intuition, or suspicion about something, often without concrete evidence.
Describing a physical posture where the back is curved and shoulders are forward.
予感 is a premonition about a future event, often with emotional nuance. 勘 is a gut feeling or sixth sense, often based on experience. 直感 is immediate intuition or instinct, often without conscious reasoning. In many casual contexts, 勘 and 直感 are interchangeable, but 予感 is more about sensing something will happen.
嫌な予感がする。
I have a bad feeling about this.
彼の勘は外れた。
His hunch was wrong.
直感的にそう思った。
I intuitively thought so.
I have a good hunch about this.
何か悪いことが起こる予感がした。
I had a hunch that something bad would happen.
Refers to intuition, sixth sense, or gut feeling. Often used in casual contexts. 勘が働く means one's intuition is working.
彼の勘はよく当たる。
His hunches are often right.
女の勘って怖いね。
Women's intuition is scary, isn't it?
Means intuition or instinct. Slightly more formal than 勘. Often used for immediate, instinctive judgments.
A very common phrase meaning 'I have a feeling that...' or 'I get the sense that...'. It expresses a vague hunch or impression.
彼は来ない気がする。
I have a hunch he won't come.
何か忘れている気がする。
I have a hunch I'm forgetting something.
Literally 'insect's notice', this is a somewhat old-fashioned or literary expression for a premonition or foreboding, often of something bad.
虫の知らせで家に電話した。
I had a hunch and called home.
Literally 'cat back', this is the standard term for a hunched back or stooped posture.
猫背を直したい。
I want to fix my hunched posture.
Verb phrase meaning 'to hunch one's back' or 'to round one's shoulders'.
寒くて背中を丸めた。
I hunched my back because it was cold.
There is no direct verb equivalent of 'to hunch' in the sense of having a feeling. Use phrases like 予感がする or 気がする instead. For the physical posture, use 背中を丸める or 猫背になる.
There is no direct verb equivalent of 'to hunch' in the sense of having a feeling. Use phrases like 予感がする or 気がする instead. For the physical posture, use 背中を丸める or 猫背になる.