既視感
kishikan
To say deja vu in Japanese, use 既視感 (kishikan).
既視感 is the feeling that you have already seen or lived through something that is happening now.
What does it mean word for word?
既 means already, 視 means seeing and 感 means feeling.
Which one should you use?
The French term is also used in Japanese as a loanword written in katakana, and is common in casual speech.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced kishikan.
Did you know?
- In modern Japanese social media and internet slang, people often use the term 既視感 to describe a situation that feels cliché or predictable, rather than a psychological phenomenon.
- In Japanese anime, the term 既視感 is often used as a shorthand to hint at more fantastical concepts like time loops or memories from a past life.
- While 既視感 describes the feeling of having seen something before, Japanese has a mirrored term 未視感 (mishikan) for 'jamais vu', the eerie feeling that a familiar place or person is completely new.
Examples in context
- この場所には強い既視感がある。Kono basho ni wa tsuyoi kishikan ga aru.I have a strong sense of deja vu in this place.
- 既視感のせいで少し怖くなった。Kishikan no sei de sukoshi kowaku natta.I got a little scared because of the deja vu.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are walking through a new city.
- 美咲 Misakiここに来たことある気がする。既視感があるの。koko ni kita koto aru ki ga suru. kishikan ga aru no.I feel like I've been here before. I'm having deja vu.
- 蓮 Renえっ、ここ初めてでしょ？e, koko hajimete desho?What, this is your first time here, right?
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんだけど、本当に既視感があるんだよ。sou nan dakedo, hontou ni kishikan ga aru ndayo.I know, but I really have a feeling of deja vu.
- 蓮 Ren不思議だね。fushigi da ne.That's strange.
