How to Say "Premonition" in Japanese

予感

yokan[jo̞kã̠ɴ]

The English phrase 'premonition' can be said in Japanese as 予感 (yokan).

予感 is a noun meaning a strong intuition.

Meaning: strong intuition (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word 予感 is composed of the kanji 予, meaning 'pre' or 'beforehand' and 感, meaning 'feeling' or 'sense'.

To express the verb phrase 'to have a premonition', use the particle が with the verb する, resulting in 予感がする.

yokan

If your intuition is specifically about a bad event, Japanese speakers might skip 予感 entirely and use 胸騒ぎ, which literally translates to 'chest noisiness' or a racing heart.
The kanji 予 in 予感 shares its historical root with the word 'beforehand', but in modern Japanese, it is also a common way to write the pronoun 'I' in formal or literary contexts.
The character 予 also appears in the word 予約, meaning 'reservation' or 'appointment', as both involve arranging or sensing something beforehand.

嫌な予感が的中した。
My premonition turned out to be right.
This sentence is useful for showing how to say a premonition turned out to be right using 予感.
Tatoeba #1207134 by bunbuku, translation #1311911 by CK
彼女は吉兆を感じる。
She feels a good omen.
あの光景は災いの予兆だと言われている。
That scene is said to be a sign of disaster.
最近、なんだか嫌な予感がするんだよね。
Lately, I have this weird bad feeling, you know.
良い予感がします。
Yoi yokan ga shimasu.
I have a good feeling about this.
それは単なる予感でしょう。
Sore wa tannaru yokan deshou.
That is probably just a premonition.

Ren and Misaki are talking about an upcoming exam.

蓮 Ren

試験の合格の予感がするんだ。
Shiken no goukaku no yokan ga surun da.
I have a premonition that I will pass the exam.
美咲 Misaki

それはいい予感ね！
Sore wa ii yokan ne!
That's a good feeling!
蓮 Ren

美咲もそう思う？
Misaki mo sou omou?
Do you think so too, Misaki?
美咲 Misaki

ええ、きっと大丈夫よ。
Ee, kitto daijoubu yo.
Yes, I'm sure it will be fine.

Sources

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