感情
kanjō[kã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ː]
The English word 'emotion' can be translated into Japanese as 感情 (kanjō). Wiktionary also lists 心緒 (shinsho).
Meaning: person's internal state of being (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 感情 | kanjō | [kã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑo̞ː] (narrow) |
| 心緒 | shinsho | [ɕĩɰ̃ɕo̞] (narrow) |
The term refers to a person's internal state of being. You can use the phrase 感情を出す (kanjō o dasu) to mean 'to show one's emotions' or 'to let one's feelings show'.
Which one should you use?
感情 (kanjō) is the standard, most common word for 'emotion' or 'feeling' used in both daily life and psychological contexts. In contrast, 心緒 (shinsho) is a much more formal, literary or technical term that refers to one's state of mind or emotional state, often used in more sophisticated writing.
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the noun 感情 (kanjō) into the adjective 'emotional', you add the suffix -的な (teki na).
How do you pronounce it?
kanjō
Did you know?
- The word 感情 (kanjō) is a homophone for 勘定 (kanjō), which means 'the bill' or 'the check' at a restaurant. Context is the only way to tell if someone is talking about their feelings or the price of dinner.
- Japanese has a specific term 切ない (setsunai) for a complex emotion that combines sadness, longing and a tightening in the chest. There is no single English word that captures all these emotional nuances.
- In many Japanese contexts, expressing 感情 (kanjō) too intensely in public can be viewed as a lack of self-control or 'being unprofessional', unlike the Western celebration of 'showing your passion'.
Examples in context
- お会いできて幸せです。I am happy to meet you.
- そのニュースを聞いて悲しいです。I feel sad about the news.
- 彼は私に怒っています。He is angry with me.
- 彼女は旅行を楽しみにしてワクワクしています。She is excited about the trip.
- プレゼンテーションで緊張しています。I am nervous about the presentation.
- すごく嬉しい！I am so happy!
- なんか悲しいな。I'm feeling down.
- 彼、めっちゃ怒ってるよ。He's really angry.
- ワクワクしてる！I'm super excited!
- ドキドキしてるんだ。I'm feeling nervous.
- とても嬉しいです！ (Totemo ureshii desu!)I am very happy!
- 彼は感情をあまり表に出さない。Kare wa kanjou o amari omote ni dasanai.He does not show his emotions much.
- 激しい感情が湧き上がってきた。Gekishii kanjou ga wakiagatte kita.Intense emotions welled up inside me.
- 言葉では説明できない感情がある。Kotoba de wa setsumei dekinai kanjou ga aru.There are emotions that cannot be explained with words.
Example conversation
Kenta and Misaki are discussing a sad movie.
- 美咲 Misaki映画を見て、どう感じた？Eiga o mite, dou kanjita?How did you feel after watching the movie?
- 健太 Kenta複雑な感情になります。Fukuzatsu na kanjou ni narimasu.I have complex emotions about it.
- 美咲 Misakiわかる。とても切ない話だったね。Wakaru. Totemo setsunai hanashi datta ne.I understand. It was a very heartbreaking story.
- 健太 Kentaはい、涙が止まりませんでした。Hai, namida ga tomarimasen deshita.Yes, I couldn't stop crying.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “emotion” translations and entries 感情, 心緒, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
