Translation guide
How to express causing emotional pain or offense in Japanese, from mild hurt to deep wounding.
彼の気持ちを傷つけた。
I hurt his feelings.
気持ちを傷つけるつもりはなかった。
I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
Express that someone's words or actions caused emotional pain or offense.
The most direct and common translation. '気持ち' means feelings, '傷つける' means to hurt/injure. Used for emotional hurt.
彼の言葉が彼女の気持ちを傷つけた。
His words hurt her feelings.
そんなことを言うと、相手の気持ちを傷つけるよ。
If you say something like that, you'll hurt the other person's feelings.
Literally 'to wound/injure', often used alone when the context makes it clear it's emotional. Can be used with a person as the object.
彼は私を傷つけた。
He hurt me (emotionally).
その冗談は彼を傷つけた。
That joke hurt him.
More poetic/literary; '心' means heart/mind. Emphasizes deep emotional wounding.
彼女の冷たい態度が私の心を傷つけた。
Her cold attitude hurt my heart.
Express that someone took offense or felt insulted by something said or done.
Formal expression meaning 'to hurt someone's feelings' or 'to offend'. Often used in apologies or warnings.
もし気分を害したなら、謝ります。
If I hurt your feelings, I apologize.
彼の発言は多くの人の気分を害した。
His remarks offended many people.
Causative of '怒る' (to get angry). Means 'to make someone angry/offended'. Stronger than just hurt feelings.
彼を怒らせるつもりはなかった。
I didn't mean to make him angry.
Express that one's own feelings are hurt, focusing on the receiver's emotion.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to be hurt/wounded'. Commonly used for emotional hurt. The subject is the person who is hurt.
彼の言葉に傷ついた。
I was hurt by his words.
そんなこと言われて、傷つくよ。
It hurts when you say things like that.
Means 'to become sad'. Softer than 傷つく, expresses sadness rather than deep wounding.
友達に無視されて悲しくなった。
I felt sad when my friend ignored me.
Specifically damage someone's self-esteem or pride.
Direct translation using the loanword 'プライド'. Very common.
彼はプライドを傷つけられて怒った。
He got angry because his pride was hurt.
More formal/literary; '自尊心' means self-esteem.
彼の批判は彼女の自尊心を傷つけた。
His criticism hurt her self-esteem.
傷つける is a general term for hurting someone emotionally, while 気分を害する is more formal and specifically means to offend or cause displeasure. Use 気分を害する in polite apologies or when discussing social offenses.
彼の冗談で気分を害した。
I was offended by his joke.
彼の冗談で傷ついた。
I was hurt by his joke.
While '気持ち' is correct, using '感情' (かんじょう) in this context is unnatural. '感情を傷つける' is not idiomatic. Stick to 気持ち or 心.
気持ちを傷つける
hurt someone's feelings
彼女は彼のコメントに傷ついた。
She was hurt by his comment.
人の気持ちを傷つけるようなことは言わないでください。
Please don't say things that hurt people's feelings.