feeling of indebtedness; sense of obligation
Refers to a psychological burden or guilt from feeling one owes someone, often used in phrases like 負い目を感じる (to feel indebted).
Ever since he helped me, I've felt a sense of indebtedness.
When you feel indebted, it's hard to speak your mind.
I still feel indebted to the friend who helped me.
He has a lingering sense of guilt for the trouble he caused as a child.
After finally paying off the debt, I was freed from that nagging sense of obligation.
借り is a concrete debt or favor one owes, while 負い目 is the emotional feeling of indebtedness that debt can produce.
恩義 is a formal term for a moral obligation or debt of gratitude, whereas 負い目 is more about a personal, often uncomfortable emotional burden.
罪悪感 is a general sense of guilt over wrongdoing, while 負い目 specifically stems from feeling one owes or has burdened another person.
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
Less common variant spelling; learners may encounter it but 負い目 is preferred.
Compound of 負い (from 負う 'to bear, to owe') and 目 (here a suffix indicating a quality or state). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since at least the Edo period to express a sense of obligation.
She has lived carrying a sense of guilt toward her family.