Japanese Conversation · Level 51
90 words
Japanese word
勘
Pronunciation
Romajikan
Meaning
- nounintuition
Example
彼女は勘を信じて答えを選びました。kano jo wa kan o shin ji te kota e o era bi ma shi ta
She trusted her intuition and chose the answer.
More examples
彼の勘はよく当たります。kare no kan wa yo ku a ta ri ma su
His intuition is often right.
Core concept
It is the felt sense that points toward a judgment before conscious reasoning explains why it seems right.
Common phrases
勘が働くkan ga hatara ku
one's intuition kicks in
勘を働かせるkan o hatara ka se ru
use one's intuition
勘が当たるkan ga a ta ru
one's intuition is right
勘が鋭いkan ga surudo i
have sharp intuition
Similar words
直感chokkan: An immediate intuitive judgment that arises before careful analysis.
感覚kankaku: A nonverbal awareness used to judge a situation or perform an action effectively.
第六感dairokukan: An intuitive perception believed to work beyond the usual five senses.
Definition in Japanese
経験や感覚に基づき、理由をはっきり説明する前に物事の当否を判断する力。kei ken ya kan kaku ni moto zu ki ri yū o ha kki ri setsu mei su ru mae ni mono goto no tō hi o han dan su ru chikara
Word origin
The word 勘 (kan, "intuition") uses the Sino-Japanese reading of the character 勘, associated with examining and judging, and applies that judgment to an immediate inner sense.
Usage tips
- In sports and skilled work, 勘 (kan) can describe a feel for timing or technique that comes from experience, not only a guess about an event.
Other meanings
- instinctnoun
- hunchnoun
- sixth sensenoun