also: せきぜん
taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
fully satisfied; cleared of doubt; convinced
Almost always used in the negative form 釈然としない to express lingering dissatisfaction or doubt after an explanation or apology. The positive form is rare.
See also: 釈然とする
Even after hearing his explanation, I'm not fully satisfied.
There was an apology, but a feeling of not being fully convinced remained.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading しゃくぜん is the most common.
Rare alternative reading; しゃくぜん is overwhelmingly more common.
The kanji 釈 means 'explain' or 'release', and 然 is a suffix meaning 'state' or 'condition'. Together they suggest a state of having been explained or resolved. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is used in classical and modern Japanese to describe a feeling of clarity or satisfaction.