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合点がいく (がてんがいく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (iku/yuku class)
understand ; make sense of ; get it
Often used in negative or question forms to express that something doesn't make sense or is hard to accept. Slightly old-fashioned but still common in everyday speech.
Did that story make sense to you?
Written forms 合が 点てん がいく
Standard kanji spelling using いく.
合点が行く
合点がてん がゆく
Search-only kana spelling for 行く; not a common written form.
がてんがゆく
Kanji 行 going, journey, carry out Similar words 納なっ 得とく がいく 納得がいく is more common and neutral for 'to be convinced' or 'to accept'. 合点がいく is slightly older and more colloquial, often used in the negative.
理り 解かい する 理解する is a straightforward 'to understand', while 合点がいく implies a subjective 'click' of comprehension or acceptance.
Etymology 合点 (がてん) originally meant 'agreement' or 'consent', from the kanji 合 (fit/match) and 点 (point). Combined with いく (to go), it expresses the idea of 'reaching an understanding'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase has been used since the Edo period.
