Translation guide
Expressing understanding, compassion, or shared feeling toward someone's situation or emotions.
To show that you understand and feel sorry for someone's hardship or sadness.
The most direct equivalent, meaning to feel sympathy or compassion. Often used when someone is in a difficult situation.
彼の状況に同情します。
I sympathise with his situation.
To feel the same emotion as someone else, or to understand their emotional state.
Means to empathise or share the same feeling. Used when you can relate to someone's emotions, not just feel sorry for them.
彼の喜びに共感した。
I sympathised with his joy.
To express agreement with or support for a viewpoint, movement, or action.
Means to agree with or endorse an opinion or cause. More about intellectual agreement than emotional sympathy.
彼の意見に賛同します。
I sympathise with his opinion.
同情する (dōjō suru) is sympathy (feeling sorry for someone), while 共感する (kyōkan suru) is empathy (sharing the feeling). Use 同情 for hardship, 共感 for shared emotions like joy or excitement.
Direct translations like 'シンパサイズする' are not used. Always choose a natural Japanese expression based on context.
Expresses feeling sorry for someone, often in a more personal, emotional way. Common in spoken Japanese.
それは気の毒に思います。
I sympathise with you about that.
Literally 'I understand your feelings.' A polite and empathetic way to express sympathy, often used in formal or customer service contexts.
お気持ちはよくわかります。
I really sympathise with how you feel.
A casual way to say you understand someone's feelings. Very common in everyday conversation.
その気持ち、わかるよ。
I sympathise with that feeling.
To go along with or align oneself with someone's stance. Can imply conformity as well as sympathy.
彼の考えに同調する人は少ない。
Few people sympathise with his ideas.