動どう悸き

ど

う

き

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

palpitation; pounding; throbbing; thumping

Refers to an unusually strong, fast, or irregular heartbeat, often from exertion, anxiety, or a medical condition. Commonly used in phrases like 動悸がする.

走はしった後あとで動どう悸きが激はげしくなった。
My heart started pounding hard after running.
緊きん張ちょうすると動どう悸きがすることがある。
I sometimes get palpitations when I'm nervous.

See all 17 example sentences ›

Kanji

動move, motion, change
悸pulsate, shudder
気spirit, mind, air

Related words

鼓こ動どう
動悸 refers to an abnormally strong or fast heartbeat one becomes uncomfortably aware of, whereas 鼓動 is the neutral word for a heartbeat in general.

Don't confuse with

度ど胸きょう
動悸 (heart palpitations) sounds similar to 度胸 but refers to a physical racing heartbeat, not courage or nerve.
不ふ整せい脈みゃく
動悸 is the felt sensation of a pounding or racing heart (a symptom), while 不整脈 is the underlying medical condition of an irregular heartbeat.
動どう機きN2
動機 (motive) and 動悸 (heart palpitations) share the same pronunciation どうき but refer to entirely different things, one abstract and one physical.

Written forms

動どう悸きUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling for heart palpitations.
動どう気きUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 動悸 is strongly preferred.

Etymology

Composed of 動 (movement) and 悸 (throbbing/palpitation). The character 悸 is specifically associated with heart throbbing, making the compound transparent.