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衝動 (しょうどう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

衝しょう動どう

しょ

う

ど

う

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

impulse; urge; impetus

A sudden, often irrational desire or drive to act. Common in psychological and everyday contexts.

衝しょう動どうに駆かられて、彼かれは叫さけんでしまった。
Driven by impulse, he ended up shouting.
買かい

物もの

の

衝しょう

動どう

を

抑おさ

える

の

が

難むずか

しい

。

It's hard to control the urge to shop.

Kanji

衝collide, brunt, highway
動move, motion, change

Similar words

欲よく望ぼう
欲望 is a broader, more sustained desire or appetite, while 衝動 is a sudden, often momentary impulse.
本ほん能のう
本能 refers to innate, biological instincts, whereas 衝動 is a psychological urge that may not be instinctual.

Etymology

Compound of 衝 (しょう, 'to collide, thrust') and 動 (どう, 'movement'), suggesting a forceful inner movement or drive. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination is conventionally associated with the meaning of a sudden impulse.