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.
She has sharp intuition.
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).
He has good intuition, so he figured it out right away.
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.
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.
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.
When I heard the story, I immediately had an intuition.
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.
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.
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.
I chose based on intuition.
I answered based on a hunch.
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).
I trust my intuition.
Her intuition was right.
He has a strong intuition about people.
彼が嘘をついているとピンときた。
I had a hunch that he was lying.
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.