Related words 親した しい 親しい means 'close' or 'intimate' in a general sense, while 気心の知れた emphasizes mutual understanding and the ability to be at ease without pretense.
信しん 頼らい できる 信頼できる means 'reliable' or 'trustworthy' and can apply to people, systems, or information. 気心の知れた is specifically about personal relationships where one's true nature is understood.
Etymology A fixed expression combining 気心 (one's true feelings and nature) and 知れた (the perfective form of 知れる , 'to be known'). Literally 'one's heart and mind are known', it describes a relationship of deep mutual understanding.
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