also: こきび
noun
Often used in the set phrase 小気味がいい (or 小気味いい) meaning 'pleasant feeling' or 'satisfying sensation'. The word itself is somewhat literary and not used in everyday casual speech.
彼の歯切れの良い返答が小気味よかった。
His crisp reply was pleasantly satisfying.
小気味のいいリズムに思わず体
The rhythm feels so good that my body moves involuntarily.
気持ち is the common, everyday word for 'feeling' or 'sensation'. 小気味 is more literary and often appears in the phrase 小気味がいい to describe a pleasant, crisp sensation.
快感 means 'pleasant sensation' or 'pleasure', often physical. 小気味がいい emphasizes a brisk, refreshing, or satisfying feeling rather than pure pleasure.
Compound of 小 (small, slight) and 気味 (feeling, sensation). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the Edo period to describe a subtle, pleasant feeling.