罪悪感を感じます
zaiakukan o kanjimasu
In Japanese, "I feel guilty" is expressed as 罪悪感を感じます (zaiakukan o kanjimasu).
This phrase is used to express a feeling of remorse or responsibility for doing something wrong.
Which one should you use?
罪悪感を感じています translates to 'I feel guilty.' 悪いな is a casual way to say 'I'm sorry' or 'My bad.' 心苦しいです is an expression that conveys a deep sense of guilt and unease.
How do you pronounce it?
zaiakukan o kanjimasu
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, expressing guilt is often less about personal remorse and more about restoring harmony. Using phrases like 申し訳ありません (moushiwake arimasen) focuses on the fact that you have no excuse for the disruption caused to the social balance.
- Japanese has no single verb that maps exactly to the English 'to feel guilty'. Instead, it uses 感じます which means 'to feel' or 'to perceive', treating guilt as a noun or a sensation one observes within themselves.
- The word 'guilt' in 罪悪感 (zaiakukan) uses the character 罪 which can mean 'sin' in a religious context. However, in modern Japanese, it is frequently used to describe a much lighter sense of 'wrongdoing' or 'fault' in secular social situations.
Examples in context
- ごめんなさい。君に迷惑をかけてしまった。I'm sorry. I caused trouble for you.
Example conversation
Misaki tells Yota that she spent too much money on a luxury bag.
- 美咲 Misaki高いバッグを買って、罪悪感を感じます。takai baggu o katte, zaiakukan o kanjimasu.I feel guilty for buying an expensive bag.
- 陽太 Yotaたまにはいいじゃないか。tama ni wa ii janai ka.It's okay once in a while.
- 美咲 Misakiでも、使いすぎた気がします。demo, tsukaisugita ki ga shimasu.But I feel like I spent too much.
- 陽太 Yota気にしないで楽しもうよ。ki ni shinaide tanoshimou yo.Don't worry about it and just enjoy it.
